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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26645368">Lie, Love, Live, Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/greendragon19/pseuds/greendragon19'>greendragon19</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Post-Season/Series 03, Series 03 Fix-It: Children of Earth (Torchwood), eventual mentions of suicide, eventually, lots of angst it is Jack after all, miracle day didn't happen, supersoldier(s), will put it in the notes of the corresponding chapter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:02:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>42,477</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26645368</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/greendragon19/pseuds/greendragon19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack returns back to earth for the first time since The 456, the ghosts of his past still haunting him. It is just supposed to be a passing visit to see Gwen, but a chance meeting with an unusual soldier from the future who has an unexpected connection to Ianto, could change everything.<br/>Set after children of earth. Fix it fic, it takes some time but it gets there trust me.  No connections to the audio dramas or books. Miracle day didn’t happen.</p><p>Title is from the AWOLNATION song of the same name.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen Cooper &amp; Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper &amp; Jack Harkness, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, background Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, background Martha Jones/Mickey Smith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prelude</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetknights/gifts">violetknights</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>because I was so busy writing this I forgot to get you a mother's day/ birthday present, also thanks for beta reading for me x</p><p>All written just editing the last bits so shouldn't take long to post the whole fic, will end up around 40,000 words.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cold night air whirled around him, his coat whipping in the wind as he waited at the door for someone to answer. It was later than he had expected, middle of the night maybe? Time travel is never very accurate especially when travelling with The Doctor. He had dropped Jack off on earth and from there Jack was going to make his own way to wherever he was going next, Jack hadn't quite decided yet.<br/>He really hoped that he had the right house but after a few minutes the door opened. She was older then when he last saw her but then that was to be expected. Jack didn't have time to gauge how much older when Gwen Cooper's hand slapped him hard across the face.</p><p>“Ow!” Jack said as he rubbed his cheek, “what was that for?”<br/>“Where the bloody hell have you been Jack Harkness!” she yelled, her face a vision of fury. “Twelve bloody years and not so much as a text!”<br/>oh, that was why she was mad. It had been so much longer for Jack since he left Earth but he had only meant for it to be a year or two tops for Gwen. He made a mental note to yell at The Doctor the next time they saw each other.</p><p>“I can explain,” he said lamely, his best apology smile, part genuine remorse, part cheeky grin. Gwen, unaffected by Jack's charms, by now rolled her eyes.<br/>“I'll put the kettle on shall I? You can explain inside” she said tersely, moving out the way of the door frame to let Jack in.</p><p>Jack had never seen this house before, Gwen and Rhys had bought it after he left, but it hadn’t taken Jack long to track it down. It was nice Jack mused as he followed Gwen into the living room, a cosy three bedroom house just outside the centre of Cardiff, it was so... normal. Gwen left Jack to look around and went into the kitchen to make tea.<br/>He peered around the room, a sofa and two armchairs arranged around a coffee table facing a television. Pictures lined the walls, Gwen and Rhys with a dark haired baby, toddler or small child. The baby Gwen was pregnant with when he left. She would be almost twelve now. There was a clock on the wall too. It was nearly 3 am, Jack would have to apologise for that as well.</p><p>Jack sat down on the sofa, dropping his backpack by his feet when Gwen came back in with a mug in each hand. Sitting down on the armchair closest to Jack and placing the mugs on the table in front of them. Silence hung in the air between them. Gwen wasn't going to make this easy for him.</p><p>“I'm sorry it's so late,” Jack started.<br/>“Are you talking about the time or the years?” Gwen retorted.<br/>He deserved that.<br/>“Both?”<br/>“Part of me didn't think you were ever coming back,” Gwen said into her mug, blowing on it and taking a sip.<br/>“Me neither,” Jack admitted guiltily.</p><p>“She's called Anwen,” Gwen said a little more gently, catching Jack looking at one of the pictures on the coffee table. It was remarkable how much like her mother she looked but with an ease and cockiness to her smile that reminded Jack of Rhys. “She’ll be twelve in three months,”<br/>“She looks just like you,” Jack said looking over at Gwen. Was this all they had now, small talk and idle chit chat, if they did it would all be Jack's fault.</p><p>“She wants to join Torchwood when she grows up,” Gwen said, looking up from her mug to catch Jack's reaction to the silent implication.<br/>“Wait, do you mean it's..?” he asked, unable to finish the sentence but suspected he already knew the answer.<br/>“I rebuilt it,” Gwen told him, unable to hide her pride, “with some help of course, the old hub, everything. It's been fully operational for two and a half years now,”<br/>“And you're running it?” Jack felt numb just trying to process what Gwen was telling him, he had never considered that she might rebuild.<br/>“For now. At least until I can find a suitable replacement,” Gwen said, a slight smile teasing the corners of her lips, Jack knew as well as anyone it wasn't a job you left lightly. “The world knows about aliens now, no point denying it, but we help contain alien threats, monitor the rift, that sort of thing.”</p><p>“You have a team?” Jack asked casually, raising a single eyebrow.<br/>“Four of them,” Gwen said “They are away at the moment though, field training with UNIT.” Seeing the concerned look on Jacks face she continued,<br/>“There was a lot of restructuring inside UNIT after... what happened and they need to be trained properly in order for them to be kept safe, it's just a refresher course once a year.”<br/>“Yeah,” He replied a little sceptically, it made sense and Jack had been away for a long time. Maybe UNIT had changed but he would never trust them again.</p><p>“I have something for you,” Gwen said, her face softening as she placed her mug back onto the table. She got up and left the room, returning a few moments later holding a small metal box. Gwen sat down on the sofa next to him and passed it over. Jack recognised it instantly, a small, mottled yellow, metal box that for a very long time he had kept safe at Torchwood. A few photos and memories that he kept close. He thought it had been destroyed in the explosion. Jack was stunned to silence unsure of what to say.<br/>“The damage to the base wasn't as bad as you would have thought,” Gwen told him “Don't get me wrong there was a lot of damage to the main hub but the lower levels, the vaults, morgue that sort of thing were pretty much intact, we found that in the rubble.”<br/>“And you kept it all this time?” Jack asked, placing it securely in the top of his bag without opening it.<br/>“Well just in case,” Gwen replied with a wink, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a quick hug.</p><p>After she had pulled away Jack crossed his arms across his chest leaning back a little to look at Gwen.<br/>“So who's on your team?” He asked, genuinely curious.<br/>“Oh you'd like them,” Gwen replied, Jack raised an eyebrow quizzically “Lets see there's Martha Jones and Mickey Smith, they helped to rebuild from the beginning. When the base was nearly complete Lois joined,” A good start Jack had to admit. Gwen continued “Lois Habiba technically she's an archivist but she does everything really, cleaning, organising, making sure we all eat when there's a crazy case,” Ianto's job, Jack filled in silently, ignoring the twinge in the pit of his stomach.<br/>“And your fourth?”<br/>“Oh you will love this,” Gwen said with a smile, “Luke Smith,”<br/>“As in Sarah Jane's?” Jack asked sceptically<br/>“The very same, came to us last year looking for a job,”<br/>“I bet she loved that,” Jack tried to add up the years in his head but he wasn't entirely sure how old the boy was to begin with.<br/>“Wasn't really up to her, been twelve years Jack,” She said as if to read his mind “He's twenty seven and one hell of an expert on alien tech.”<br/>Twenty seven, the same age Ianto was when he died for Torchwood, it was too young. Outwardly Jack chuckled, he didn't want to upset Gwen, he was proud of her for what she had built even if it stirred up a lot of unpleasant memories for him.</p><p>And just like that they fell back into the swing of how things used to be, joking and talking, like they used to. Gwen telling Jack silly stories about Rhys and Anwen, both of them more stubborn than the other. It had been almost an hour.<br/>“Bloody hell Jack you don't half have the worst timing,” she said stretching her arms. “I have to take Anwen to school in three hours, I should go to bed.”<br/>“Is that an invitation,” Jack teased with a wink.<br/>“Oh yeah Rhys would love that,” Gwen retorted with a chuckle.<br/>“Hey the more the merrier,” Jack laughed.<br/>Gwen gave his shoulder a shove. “God you're awful, I Had meant you could use the spare room,”<br/>Jack shook his head “No,” he said much to his own surprise “There's something I've got to do,” they both stood up Gwen walking Jack to the door, she looked a little disappointed.<br/>“I'm not going anywhere,” Jack reassured, he had noticed Gwen hadn't asked how long he was planning on staying, she probably didn't want to know.<br/>“I’ll come back tomorrow” and he meant it. Jack wasn't planning on staying long. He couldn't not after what he did, but he wasn't going to go without saying goodbye first.<br/>“Well good,” said Gwen opening the door “Rhys will want to see you,”<br/>“With cheekbones like these,” Jack said with his usual level of cheek “Who wouldn't.”</p><p>---</p><p>The Doctor had fixed Jack’s vortex manipulator to transport him in space, something about not being Jack's personal taxi driver, but still refused to fix it to do time. So getting from Gwen's to the water tower only took seconds. He stood in the dark looking up at it looming over him. No one would have known that almost thirteen years ago the whole place was nothing but rubble. He took a deep breath before standing on the lift, his hands shaking a little as he typed the code into his wrist strap to make it move. Gwen must have left all of his access codes in place because the lift shuddered to life almost instantly.</p><p>He had thought of using the entrance by the bay but he couldn't bring himself to go down there, too many ghosts. Part of him wasn't ready to see it rebuilt, not yet. Besides this way he would get to see the Hub's rebuild better.<br/>The platform sank into the ground with a shudder. Myfanwy shrieked, circling the lift as it descended downwards, like she always did. Checking to see who was intruding into her home. Jack smiled briefly at her as she sawed past, flying back to settle into her roost. Gwen had told him the pterodactyl had come back just a few weeks after they began rebuilding, flying around the harbour until someone noticed and let her back in, She just wanted to come home. Of course there wasn’t enough of the base at that point to let her in, so she had to live in a warehouse down by the docks until there was. Seeing her gave Jack a sense of relief, like he could let go of a small loss he didn't know he was carrying.</p><p>The base looked more or less the same as it had done before, Jack was more than a little impressed with what Gwen had managed. The main differences being structural everything was reinforced, it would take more than a bomb of human origin to take it down now. The lift shuddered to a halt and he strode of looking around him, as if it was his first time in Torchwood.</p><p>Jack walked around slowly taking it all in, it looked so similar but so different. Everything cleaner, all shiny and new. and yet ...<br/>Looking down at the medical bay Jack could practically hear Tosh and Owen squabbling with each other over the purpose of some new alien object but then when he looked again he could see the equipment was set up differently.<br/>Close by the same two desks with computer monitors on them but Tosh would never let her station get that jumbled, sure it could get cluttered from time to time all that alien tech but everything still had its place. Must be Mickey's now Jack mused.</p><p>It was easy to leave Tosh and Owen there, in the places that were their own. But Ianto was everywhere. Torchwood was his home more than it was for the others, there wasn't a corner Jack could turn without seeing him. He was always there making coffee, cleaning up after them, making sure everything ran smoothly even on the most chaotic of cases. But there was so much more than that too of course, it would have been easier if it wasn't.</p><p>Jack found himself outside what was his office but it now belonged to Gwen. Tentatively he walked inside his heart pounding in his chest. It was set up more or less the same but there were a few furnishings here and there that were all Gwen's. However if he looked carefully he could peel away all that was new and see what was there before and for a second he let the ghosts in.</p><p>He was hit with a hundred memories all at once. “Anything else I can get you sir?” “Just us, in this room for as long as it takes. terrifying.” “His own time. would you go back to yours, if you could?”<br/>Jack stumbled backwards hitting the wall, he closed his eyes and pushed the memories away. Jack had gotten good at it over the centuries hiding from the ghosts of all the people he lost, but for whatever reason it was harder with Ianto he just couldn't let him go.<br/>Jack opened his eyes, ran his fingers through his hair and left the office. He didn't even know why he had come to the hub, too see what it was like? What Gwen had accomplished? To punish himself was more likely.</p><p>Jack headed for the lift, ready to leave the hub behind and pretend he was never there. He walked past what he was assuming was Luke's computer, it was neater than the other, when a minor alert popped up on screen with a ping. It wasn't anything urgent but Jack's curiosity got the better of him. He entered his access codes and took a look. Just a minor spike in rift activity, nothing to indicate anything coming through but there was also an anomalous energy reading, it was a few miles from the rift activity but it was practically simultaneous and Jack didn't believe in coincidences. He made a mental note of the location and grabbed a scanner from the desk.</p><p>---</p><p>The streets of Cardiff were quiet but dawn was coming and people would be waking up soon, Jack walked down the street to where the energy reading had come from. He was running a scan for anything out of the ordinary, heat signatures, alien tech that sort of thing. Jack was almost sure he wouldn't find anything, that the readings at the hub were just blips but still a part of him couldn't resist the temptation of checking. He walked about twenty yards when the scanner he had grabbed picked up a human life sign. Jack wouldn't have thought anything of it but the streets were empty and it couldn't hurt to take a quick look. He followed it to an ally that ran down the side of a club. The sun was just starting to rise allowing him to see more clearly down the alley. There was a figure at the end of it, the only thing holding them up was the wall.</p><p>“Hello,” Jack called, keeping his pace steady, as not to startle them, his hand on his holster just in case.<br/>“Are you ok?” the figure looked up at him. It was a woman. Immediately at the sight of him, her stance changed, her shoulders loosed and fist out front ready to fight.<br/>“I'm not going to hurt you,” Jack called out slowing his pace a little “I just want to help,”<br/>“Stay back!” she said, her tone laced with warning but her fists trembled slightly and there was a clear note of pain to her voice. Her accent was English but laced with other things like someone who had spent a great deal of their life travelling. He was about 5 feet from her now so he stopped, the woman or more accurately the girl couldn't have been more than eighteen years old. Jack gave her a quick once over her skin was pale but but smudged with dirt and grime, she was wearing a dark green tank top and grey sweatpants he would have thought were pyjamas if it wasn't for the combat boots.</p><p>There was a dark stain on her top below her ribs, blood maybe? She could be injured. She was small, about 5 foot 3 with a petite frame but poised as she was to fight, Jack could see clear definition in her biceps. Her dark hair tied in a tight ponytail behind her head. To the untrained eye she would appear harmless but to Jack everything about her screamed that she was a soldier.</p><p>Jack showed her his hands proving he wasn't holding his gun “Are you hurt?” he said making sure to keep his voice calm “My name is Captain Jack Harkness, I can help,” the second he said captain she stood to attention, standing upright her hands firmly at her sides and facing straight forward. Definitely a solder but from where. “Identify yourself,” he ordered, he figured his best chance at getting information was to pretend to be part of whatever military operation she came from.<br/>“2-5-4-4 Sir!” she replied not breaking her stance.</p><p>That was strange, no rank nothing just numbers so Jack persisted “what's your name and rank?” he asked but it was obviously the wrong thing to say, she relaxed her shoulders and held her hands behind her back, tilting her head so she was looking him in the eyes, her eyes were blue and sparked with mischief, it felt like they were looking directly into his soul.<br/>“I don't remember anyone mentioning a Captain Harkness on base,” she said, she sounded almost playful, she was toying with him whatever he had said or done had tipped her off.<br/>“I'm an outside consultant?” Jack tried, but she raised an eyebrow at him, she wasn't buying it “No?” he said with a grin “Hey I tried, I'm captain Jack Harkness I'm with Torchwood, who the hell are you?” the words just rolled off his tongue like no time had passed at all.</p><p>“I already told you,” she smirked, “I'm 2-5-4-4 that's who I am,” she took a shaking breath, leaning against the wall again and pressing her hand to the middle of her abdomen where the stain on her top was. Well that wasn't good she was obviously hurt and the whole number for a name thing that was bad, it was one thing when it was hostile aliens but this girl looked human and her life sign read as human so where did the number come from?</p><p>“What's Torchwood?” she asked, she sounded more out of breath then when they had started talking, though she was trying to hide it.<br/>“We help people, aliens,” he said tentatively trying to gauge her reaction but she didn't react at least not in any way Jack could see. “there is a rift in space and time and sometime things and people fall through,” he explained “and Torchwood helps when that happens.”<br/>“I have to go,” she said standing up and trying to walk past Jack. He blocked her, placing one hand on her shoulder, she didn't try to resist.<br/>“Wait, you're hurt,” he was standing right in front of her now, there was something hauntingly familiar about her but he couldn't place it.<br/>“We have medical supplies, I can help,”<br/>“They need me,” is all she said before she passed out. Jack caught her with ease and teleported them both back to the hub. There was something not right about this girl, something off and Jack was going to find out what it was. He never could resist a mystery.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jack lay the girl down on the examination table in the medical bay, lifting her shirt up enough to see the injury. It didn't make any sense, it looked like a gunshot wound right in the middle of her stomach, she should have been dead. He grabbed a handful of gauze and was about to apply pressure to the wound when he realised it wasn't bleeding.<br/>She was still breathing and he checked her pulse, it was steady. He switched on the monitors and set them to scan her for further injuries and to scan her DNA. If she was some kind of alien masquerading as human maybe there would be something in the Torchwood records that could help. </p>
<p>She was healing and fast, well for a human anyway. With little else he could do he cleaned the wound and dressed it with a bandage. Once all of the blood had been washed away he noticed more scars on her torso and arms, thin and silver like they had been there for years but with the rate at which she was healing he had to wonder how old they really were. The results of the first scan popped up on the screen, she wasn't hurt anywhere else. The DNA test wouldn't be done for hours yet, Jack thought better of placing an IV or trying any other medical intervention. This girl whoever she was couldn't have been human, at least not entirely and any medical measures he tried to use to help could cause more problems.</p>
<p>Jack walked back over to the computer, which had the information about the rift spike and the energy reading on. Using the Torchwood data banks he ran a global scan for energy signatures matching the reading that came through with the rift. Maybe she had teleported from somewhere else on the planet, if she did there would be a corresponding energy reading. </p>
<p>“Now that's interesting,” Jack said to himself as the results came up on screen. There were exactly 1509 energy readings that matched and they all happened at exactly 5.04 BST the same time as the rift spike. Jack yawned, he knew he should call Gwen, let her know what was going on. After all it was her Hub now, but he was exhausted and the girl shouldn't wake up for hours yet. So he went over to the couch and closed his eyes. He would call Gwen later, he didn't want to wake her.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>The blade at his throat woke him, a feeling he was all too familiar with. He opened his eyes slowly so as not to startle her, the girl stood over him, a scalpel pressed against his jugular.<br/>“Where have you brought me?” she demanded, she sounded better then she had earlier. Her skin was still fair but it had a more healthy peach like glow to it, under the dirt anyway.<br/>“It's ok, just stay calm,” he carefully got to his feet, her knife still pressed against his throat, she pressed the blade harder against his neck but not enough to break the skin.<br/>“I said where am I?” <br/>“Torchwood,” Jack replied quickly, he knew she couldn't kill him but it still wasn't fun. “You're in Torchwood?”<br/>“Where's that?” she asked again the pressure of that blade lessening slightly.<br/>“Cardiff,” she only responded with a blank look, “Wales,” he added “Great Britain.”<br/>“On earth?” she pulled the blade away from Jack but still held onto it. Jack nodded.<br/>A small smile teased at the corners of her mouth, “good” she whispered to herself she looked down at the floor and dropped the knife.<br/>She looked back up at Jack smiling a little. She placed a hand on each side of his face. “I'm really sorry” she said, losing her smile but she seemed sincere. This was good. Jack thought she seemed calmer, happy almost.<br/>“It's no problem, not like your first lady too ...” he started but she interrupted him.<br/>“No,” she said “I mean I'm really sorry, but nobody can know that I'm here, I can't leave any witnesses,” oh crap! Jack thought and she broke his neck.</p>
<p>He woke up on the floor next to the couch trying to stay quiet, as he pulled himself out of the darkness. The girl stood at Luke's computer, her back to him. Trying to bypass Torchwood's security and gain access to the system. Jack got to his feet silently, drawing his gun as he did. He would have to work out how a girl, who couldn't weigh more than 130lb soaking wet, just broke his neck like it was a toothpick later. <br/>Right now she was trying to access Torchwood files and he couldn't have that.<br/>He crept up behind her keeping his footsteps silent. “I wouldn't do that if I were you,” he said casually. The girl screamed and spun around her hands clutched to her mouth surprised at the sound she had made. She quickly composed herself, a typical soldier, she looked casual but Jack could tell she was ready to fight if she had to.<br/>“But I killed you,” she said.<br/>“You're not the first,” he joked cockily.<br/>“That's impossible,”  Jack smiled, that's what they always say, evidence to the contrary staring them right in the face and they always try to deny it.<br/>“Looks like we are both full of surprises,” <br/>She half smiled at that and Jack lowered his gun a little. <br/>“Who are they?,” he asked curiosity, getting the better of him.<br/>“Who?”<br/>“Before you passed out you said they need me,” he clarified. Letting his guard down and leaning against a nearby post, he didn't know what but something about this girl made him want to trust her besides what was she going to do to kill him? Anyway he was the one with the gun.<br/>She looked thoughtful for a moment, a mental war going on behind her eyes “my brothers and sisters,” she said at last “I don't know where they are, we were supposed to come through together,”<br/>Well that changed things, it was plainly obvious that she was dangerous but if there was more like her out there, he had to find them too.<br/>He checked his watch. It was almost noon already, he had forgotten how easy it was to lose track of time in the windowless hub. He wondered why Gwen hadn't come in yet but was grateful for it, this girl was dangerous and would have killed Gwen too.<br/>“I don't know about you, but I'm starving,” Jack said, holstering his gun, he needed to gain her trust and he wasn't going to do it at gunpoint. <br/>“I could order pizza, if you want?” he added.<br/>“I always wanted to try pizza,” She replied somewhat wistfully.<br/>“You've never eaten pizza?” again strange even in the fiftieth century, the human race scattered amongst the stars they still managed to have pizza in some form or another.<br/>“I heard about it in earth history and culture class,” she said to herself. Realising that she said it out loud she glared at Jack her blue eyes staring him down with an intensity that made Jack uneasy. Thinking better of pressing the subject he said “I'll place the order, if you want there should be showers down that way,” he indicated to a turn off that led to the showers and bathrooms, at least that's where they were before.<br/> “I could probably find you some clean clothes from somewhere,” the girl looked down at her blood stained tank top and muddy trousers and nodded silently.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>They sat at either end of the couch, about as much space as there could possibly be between them, the girl, 2-5-4-4 was wearing a pair of scrub trousers from the medical supplies and a dark blue t shirt, that had been folded tidily under what he was assuming was Luke's workstation. Both items of clothing were too big for her. With that and seeing her face clean of dirt and blood for the first time Jack had to wonder if his initial assumption about her age had been too generous. <br/>She had just finished inhaling her second piece of pizza, her wet hair hung loose just below her shoulders. It was odd, less than forty minutes ago she had killed him right where they were sitting and yet she was the one on edge. She looked to be staring straight forward and down at the floor but really she was glancing at Jack from the corner of her eye. <br/>“So how's your … uh... bullet wound?” Jack asked somewhat apprehensively.<br/>“It's fine, it'll be healed in a few days,” she replied. Jack wanted to ask more but thought better of prying.</p>
<p>“So what do you think?” Jack asked, trying to keep the conversation light at least at first. “Of the Pizza?” He added.<br/> She didn't reply but went in for another piece, Jack who wasn't actually hungry and still hadn't finished his first. “So uh 2-5-4-4, i'm sorry there's got to be something else I can call you?” <br/>She didn’t say anything for a moment, her breath shaking.<br/> “Eve,” she mumbled, swallowing the last bit of her third piece of pizza and tentatively looking up at Jack, “My brothers and sisters called me Eve.”<br/>“It's nice to  meet you Eve,” Jack smiled reassuringly at her.<br/> This was good, it was small but it was progress. They finished the rest of the pizza in silence. Well more accurately Eve finished the rest of the pizza in silence, Jack attempted to ask a couple of questions 'how old was she?' 'How many brothers and sisters did she have?' 'Where did she come from' but Eve's only response was with a death stare so Jack dropped the issues at least for now.</p>
<p>Eve sat at the edge of the couch. Looking down at her hands, she was rubbing them together nervously and chewing on the corner of her lip Jack was about to say something when she looked up at him.</p>
<p>“Can I trust you?” she asked apprehensively, before Jack could reply she said “You said you could help, is that true?”<br/>“Yes,” he said, moving a little closer to her, this was what he wanted but he had to be careful, Jack didn't want to spook her.<br/>“It wasn't supposed to be like this, this wasn't the plan,” pain and conflict so clear in her eyes “We were supposed to be together,” she ran her fingers through her still drying hair.<br/> “You have to understand Captain, it's not just my life that I could be risking but the lives of everyone that I love, so I need to know that I can trust you with that, because I don't know what else i'm supposed to do?” her youth so apparent she was just a child, lost and afraid.<br/>Jack met her gaze with his own “You can trust me Eve, I promise, and just call me Jack” he added.<br/>She nodded slightly “ok,” it was barely audible but Jack heard her. She turned away from him, straightening her back, her gaze strait forward.</p>
<p> “We were created in a lab,” She began her voice strong and clear, a soldier relaying information. “they grew us from the DNA of various alien species, the overriding DNA being human so that we could blend in on any planet inhabited by humans or human like species,”<br/>“Why?”<br/>“To create the perfect soldier, stronger, faster, smarter than any human or alien alike, a weapon to win all wars.” She kept going no emotion to her voice. Distancing herself from it like she could have been talking about anything. “They taught us everything,” She swallowed, clearing her throat. “how to think, how to fight, how to kill, everything”<br/>“So what happened?” <br/>“A good soldier needs to be able to make decisions in the heat of battle, so they taught us to think for ourselves and that was their mistake,” Jack could have sworn she smiled if only for a second. “We thought for ourselves, and we gave each other names, and we learnt to love each other and then we took everything that we had learnt and left.”</p>
<p>“Wow that's umm,” Impressive, terrifying … Jack wasn't sure. The kinds of people with the power and technology to create super soldiers were not the kinds of people you wanted to cross and he suspected they probably weren't from around these times either.<br/> “Where did you come from? How did you get here?” he pried, he was afraid that if he asked too many questions Eve would close up again but now that she had started talking he hoped that she would continue.<br/>“Year 35.42 a small planet in the delta quadrant,” she told him. “The planet lay on a rift like the one here, they had a machine that could harness that power and transport anyone to anywhere in space or time, we were all supposed to come through together, I don't know why we were separated.”<br/>“Rift energy is unpredictable, the slightest programming error and it could scatter all of you across the world,” Jack theorised “do you know if they can track it?”</p>
<p> If the news that her family could be literally anywhere on Earth upset Eve you couldn't tell, her face made of stone not letting anything through. <br/>“The machine is supposed to be untraceable, they might be able to figure out that we are on earth but I don't think they have a way of gauging a time period.” <br/>Jack was grateful for that and it made sense too, it's not like growing soldiers in labs is exactly legal not even in the 34th century and if whoever it was needed a speedy get away they wouldn't want to be followed.</p>
<p>Jack was about to ask her how many more like her there were when the computer in the medical bay bleeped. The results for the scans he had run on Eve must have finished. Jack got up and moved quickly to the nearest computer pulling up the charts.<br/>“What's that?” Eve asked. She stood right beside him, chest out, arms folded behind her back, legs slightly apart. Jack hadn't heard her move.<br/>“I ran some tests on you when you were unconscious,” he said as he pulled them up onto the screen.<br/> “I didn't know how else to help you,” he added, not wanting to lose what little of Eve's trust he had.<br/>“What do they say?” She asked. Jack didn't reply, he was too distracted by what he was seeing on the screen. It was only a basic DNA profile, he had run it in the hopes of finding out what species she was to better help her.<br/> “What is it Jack?” She asked again more persistently this time.<br/>“Who told you that you were grown in a lab?” he asked, turning slightly to see her.<br/>“They did, the ones who created us.”<br/>“Do you see this?” Jack asked, pointing to the screen “This is your DNA, it's human but with alien DNA grafted on top of it?”<br/>“What does that mean?” Eve asked, shaking her head slightly, she already knew.<br/>“It means Eve you were born human, and someone attached alien DNA to you, they changed you.” </p>
<p>Jack turned to her placing his hand on her shoulder, her skin had paled and her jaw was slack. Jack was worried she might fall over. She shrugged her shoulder away from him, swallowing hard and regaining her composure.<br/>“How old would we have been?” <br/>“I don't know,” Jack replied, turning back to the screen “No more than a few weeks maybe, any older and you would most likely reject the alien DNA.”<br/>Eve smiled and half laughed, not the response Jack was expecting. <br/>“He was right?”<br/>“Who was?”<br/>“William, he was a dreamer, he believed that we had parents on earth, looking for us waiting for us to come home.” She restrained another laugh “not that it really matters now,” she said “All that matters is finding the others,”<br/>she slid her hand into the pocket of the scrubs she was wearing and pulled out a small, round, metallic disc and placed it on the desk in front of Jack.<br/>“Is that a data chip?” he asked, already knowing the answer. He didn't even know she had it.<br/>“Yes,” she replied a little sheepishly, maybe unsure of if she should have shown it to Jack in the first place, “before we left we took what we could from the computer mainframe and split it off into three chips.” <br/>Jack picked up the disk carefully turning it over in his hand, he could feel Eve's gaze on him. He was holding the last connection she had to her family.<br/> “We took them so that if they ever found us we would have proof,”<br/>“Proof of what?”<br/>“That we were real, that we existed.” <br/>She shook her head a little, “look i'm not sure what's on it and it's probably encrypted but maybe whatever is on there can help us find the others,”<br/>“I will see what I can do,” Jack said, attaching it to the computer's adapter. Tosh had designed it to adapt most forms of alien tech to the regular computer and thankfully it seemed to be working. Jack was sceptical that there could be anything helpful to finding the others like Eve on the disc but he would try any way. <br/>“Might take a while,” he added apologetically. </p>
<p>---</p>
<p>“Jack!” Gwen called out as she entered the base, she could see him sitting at Luke's station, the computer on infront of him<br/> “Jack Harkness you have got some explaining to do,” she called out. <br/>Jack had called and asked Gwen to come to the hub. He told her about Eve and the others like her and everything else that he knew over the phone. So typical of Jack to find a bloody alien super soldier on the one day Gwen had decided to take off and only come in if there were any major rift alerts.</p>
<p>Jack had just started telling her about the more extensive DNA testing he was doing when the line went dead. She was ready to give him an earful when she got to the desk but stopped. <br/>He was staring blankly at the computer screen, resting his head against his hand, he looked like he had seen a ghost. <br/>“What is it Jack? What's wrong?” <br/>Gwen pulled a chair over from the other workstation so she sat next to him.<br/>“I ran her DNA against missing persons that fit the profile of how old she was when she was taken,” He said looking up to her “but there weren't any matches and then I realised that people with that level of technology they would more than likely have something that could manipulate memory?” <br/>“Like retcon?”<br/>“Yeah but more advanced, they could take a child from anywhere in time or space and then erase the minds of their parents and everyone around them,”<br/>“So no one would ever know they were missing,” Gwen interjected, the perfect crime.<br/>“Exactly,” Jack said, taking a deep breath he was sitting up straighter, looking a little more like his usual self again “So I ran her DNA through all global DNA databases, if she had so much as an uncle with a shoplifting charge we would know”<br/>“That could take days, weeks even,”<br/>“It took seconds,” Jack said, turning back to screen, from the angle she was sitting at Gwen couldn't see what was on it.<br/>“How's that possible Jack?”<br/>“Because there was a match within the Torchwood database,” he turned the monitor so Gwen could see it. <br/>'Paternal DNA match Ianto Jones – Torchwood'<br/> Reading it Gwen felt like all of the air had left her lungs, she reached out her hand to his shoulder. She needed some kind of connection to ground her, it was too much to take in.<br/>“Oh my god Jack, Ianto was her father,” <br/>Jack reached up, placing his hand on hers and looking over to her and she finally understood that look in his eyes.<br/>“I couldn't work out why she looked so familiar,” <br/>Neither of them spoke for a while, the new information settling on them both. “Wait a second though” Gwen said suddenly filled with the excitement she got in the old Torchwood days “We are missing the bloody obvious!”<br/>“Oh and what's that?” Jack asked, clearly curious now too.<br/>“Well if she is Ianto's daughter then chances are she was taken from Wales,” hoping Jack would catch on. “Which is one hell of a big coincidence that the rift left her here,”<br/>“Unless it wasn't an accident,” Jack started, it was like watching him come to life again, the old Jack back in action. “They used the rift to take the children, if there was some kind of programming error with the machine,”<br/>“It tried to send them back to where they came from,” Gwen finished. <br/>“Exactly,” Jack said he was smiling now, that smile he got when he was caught up in the heat of action or solving some ancient mystery that had slipped through the rift, a smile Gwen hadn't seen in so many years. <br/>“But what does this mean Jack? Can we trace it? or find out where the others are?” <br/>“I don't know,” he replied “But it's something,”<br/>“Hey Jack,” Gwen said, looking around and realising she had missed the obvious again “Where is she? Eve?”<br/>“Training, apparently,” he pressed a button on his wrist strap and the security camera feed from the hallway outside the cells popped up on screen. “She was getting antsy waiting for the computer to decrypt the data,”</p>
<p>Gwen couldn't make out any of Eve's features clearly. She was moving too fast, just a blur of dark hair each time she passed the camera. She looked to be fighting invisible enemies blocking the air with her arms, ducking and kicking at it with the occasional back flip thrown in.<br/>“Ok,” Gwen said a little hesitantly “And how long has she been doing that for?”<br/>Jack looked at his watch “About an hour,”<br/>“She hasn't even broken a sweat,” Gwen noticed<br/>“Yep, it would be impressive if it wasn't so creepy,” <br/>“Right well that settles it, you and … Xena over there are coming home with me,”<br/>“What why?”<br/>“Because you can't just sit in here all night wallowing and watching the computer try and decrypt that file.” Jack was about to protest “And don't try and wiggle your way out of it Jack Harkness.” Gwen said “All this” Gwen added waving ambiguously at the computer screen “will all still be here in the morning.”</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Gwen seemed nice enough, but Eve didn't trust her. Then again Eve only trusted Jack because she had no other choice. Eve's mind was all over the place, she couldn't think straight and everything had happened so fast. Just yesterday she was back at the facility with her family but it wasn't safe there, that's why they had to leave. And now somehow she was on an alien plant alone for the first time in her life, being shown around Gwen Cooper's house.</p>
<p>“And this is Anwen's room,” Gwen said, opening the door. Eve hadn't been paying attention to anything Gwen had been saying. Jack had told her about the energy readings that led him to her, 1509 places on earth that her brothers and sisters might be and it was all too much to think about. But she looked up when Gwen spoke and nodded pretending to be interested, it wouldn’t help to offend the people that were trying to help.<br/>“This is where you will be sleeping,” Gwen added, opening the door further so Eve could go in. <br/>Eve walked into the room cautiously, she had only ever seen rooms like this in pictures. Everything in it was so different from the barracks back at the facility. There were so many colours everywhere. The walls were painted a light purple and covered with brightly coloured images of people and things Eve didn't recognise. She suspected they were pop culture icons of this time. A large bed much bigger than her bunk was at one end of the room, a wardrobe and chest of drawers opposite it and a writing desk to the side, stacked with books. <br/>She could hear Gwen talking behind her as she walked over to the bed. She stroked the thick blue blankets that were arranged neatly at the end of it, they were so soft compared to the blankets they had had at the facility and more pillows than Eve could see the point for. <br/>“Any way,” Gwen was saying “Anwen's at a sleepover tonight so you get the whole room to yourself, You can help yourself to any of those clothes” <br/>Gwen pointed to the stack of clothes on top of the chest of drawers. <br/>“The people next door have a daughter who just went off to university, left those behind, they should be about your size,” Eve wondered when Gwen had got them but didn't feel much like asking.<br/>“Thank you,” Eve said meekly as Gwen turned away, she was grateful but it was all too much and starting to make her head hurt.<br/>“It's no bother, I will give you a shout when dinner is ready if you like,” Gwen said as she left closing the door behind her.<br/>Eve turned back to the bed pressing down on it with her hand, it was ridiculously soft, foam and springs compressing under her palm with such little pressure.<br/>Eve lay down on the floor closing her eyes retreating into her mind and trying to make sense of this crazy world that she had found herself in.<br/>Eve's hearing was good, amazing actually compared to that of a regular human, if she had wanted to she could listen in on the conversations going on downstairs, she could listen in on a conversion happening down the street for that matter. She didn't want to though, she let the indistinct mumbling wash over her instead, taking comfort in its presence. <br/>She could tell by Gwen's tone she was mad about something or maybe trying to convince one of the other two to do something. It wasn't completely clear and Eve liked it that way, it didn't matter much to her what they were talking about but the constant noise reminded her of her family.<br/> A few moments later she heard Jack leave the room and make his way up the stairs. She was slightly startled when he stopped and knocked at her door rather than going to his own.</p>
<p>“Yes,” she called getting to her feet and standing 'at ease'. Jack opened the door eyeing her suspiciously, he had probably assumed she had been standing like that since Gwen left her.<br/>“Mind if I come in?” he asked, walking into the room without her response. “Do you want to sit or something?” it was obvious that Jack had something he wanted to speak with her about. She was regretting not listening in to the conversation from down stairs, she didn't like being unprepared. Eve sat on the edge of the bed, Jack pulled up the chair from the writing desk sitting in front her.<br/>“I need to talk to you about something,” Jack said. Well that much was obvious Eve thought but she didn't let her irritation show. She just sat up straight like a good soldier.<br/>“I know who one of your biological parents is,” Jack told her. <br/>It wasn't exactly what Eve had been expecting to hear, she hadn't asked Jack to look it up, until today she didn't know she had parents so why would she care who they were. When she didn't say anything Jack kept going.<br/>“Your father, he used to work for Torchwood,” Jack explained “He died a long time ago,” <br/>That wasn't really any surprise to Eve if they could have been taken from anywhere in time it was entirely possible for their parents to not yet be born. What did surprise Eve though was the look in Jacks eyes when he said it. The pain and turmoil that she was feeling right now about the loss of her family.<br/>“You knew him,” She stated not because she wanted more information on her father but because she wanted to know more about Jack, the man she had entrusted to help find her family.<br/>“Yes,” Jack replied looking slightly away as if a really fascinating spot had miraculously appeared on the wall past Eve's right shoulder <br/>“His name was Ianto Jones, he was a member of my team he was a friend,” Jack paused slightly before saying 'friend' it was just a second, not many people would have spotted it but Eve had been trained to notice these things. It was guilt maybe or perhaps a lie. Jack was hiding something from her, not about who this Ianto Jones was but about something else and Eve was going to find out what.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Dinner went about as well as Jack could have imagined which with Rhys trying to make playful small talk with a teenage super soldier from the future meant that there was a lot of tension but hey no one got stabbed so that was a plus. <br/>Anwen was staying at a friend's house which Jack suspected  had a lot to do with the super soldier, killing machine staying the night. After they had eaten Eve vanished back up stairs to Anwen's room. In Jack's opinion she had the right idea, he just wanted to disappear upstairs and try and get some sleep, he didn't need sleep but he liked to sometimes, escaping into the abyss for a few hours. </p>
<p>But it was still pretty early and he had left Gwen for twelve years so he figured he had some time to make up for. So they stayed up for a while, had a beer and talked about nothing in particular, how the new team worked together, events that had happened over the past twelve years, that sort of thing, after a while Rhys joined them and they all talked and joked together. Jack mused on how normal it must have looked to an outside observer. </p>
<p>At about eleven Jack excused himself going up to the spare room. It was small, just enough room for the small table with a lamp on it, a chest of drawers, a small armchair and the set of bunk beds that occupied it. Jack briefly wondered why Gwen’s spare room had bunk beds but decided he was too exhausted to really care.</p>
<p> He removed his coat draping it over the chair and sitting on the edge of the bottom bunk. He removed the metal box from his bag where he had left it earlier looking at it properly now, other than a few new ding marks it looked pretty much the same. The pictures and letters inside shouldn't have been damaged, even so Jack opened it carefully expecting the worst.<br/>He almost dropped the tin from surprise, the photo on top was much newer than any of the others, Gwen must have put it there. It was his Torchwood 3 personnel photo, Ianto wouldn't stop long enough to have it taken so Tosh had followed him round with a camera for almost a  week. Jack couldn't remember when exactly Toshiko had taken it or what Ianto was doing. He was looking over at something, half smiling, a direct contrast to his eyes so serious for someone so young, his dark red shirt collar just visible. <br/>Jack's eyes stung as he blinked back tears, putting the photo back into the tin with the others. Closing it up and putting it back into his bag. Jack removed his shirt and kicked his shoes off. He lay down on top of the bed practically fully clothed and closed his eyes. It had been one hell of a first day back on earth.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Day 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Where are we,” Ianto asked, taking Jack's hand as he did. They stood on top of a hill, nothing but dark red sand as far as the eye could see. The sky was deep purple as the third sun began to set. A light smell of citrus hung in the air. He never did work out why the sand here smelt vaguely of sweet oranges.<br/>“Andolus 5,” Jack said looking down at their joined hands, something deep in the back of his mind was telling Jack this was wrong but he pushed it aside.<br/>“It's beautiful,” Ianto said and smiled, it caught Jack off guard. He would do anything for that smile.<br/>“Are you going to show me round then? Or not?”<br/>“Come on,” Jack said, pulling Ianto into step with him “There’s this great bar around here somewhere,”<br/>Everything on Andolus 5 was covered in the red sand, hiding all of the partially submerged buildings until you were practically stood on top of them.<br/>“Let's hope I'm not still barred,” Jack added with a wink.<br/>“Getting up to mischief were you?” Ianto joked.<br/>“Hardly, I mean you start one bar fight and suddenly you're a menace to society.”<br/>“Yeah i'm sure it was that simple,”<br/>“Well how was I supposed to know he was engaged to the emperor,” Jack finished with a grin.<br/>“Ah here we are,”<br/>They had reached what from a distance just looked like a sand dune, but up close there was a heavy door set into it. He opened it, allowing Ianto to go in first, down a flight of stairs that took them underground.<br/>The bar was small and crowded, it was lit with tiny orb lights that floated below the ceiling, dimly lighting everything, the chatter of different alien races sounded almost melodic.</p><p>“This place is incredible,” Ianto said. He was facing Jack and stood close so Jack could hear him, in the crowded room, his lips almost touching Jack's skin as he spoke. And there it was again that feeling of unease Jack pushed it down ignoring it.<br/>“Go get us some drinks, I'll see if I can find a table,”<br/>“How am I supposed to know what to order?”<br/>“That's half the fun of it,” Jack replied, giving Ianto a nudge to the bar at the other end of the room.<br/>Jack found a table in a corner of the room where it was a little quieter, the table had been occupied but with a little friendly persuasion they left.<br/>A moment later Ianto joined him holding two of what looked like, if it weren't for the fact that they were bright blue, beers.<br/>“You managed not to get killed then,” Jack teased.<br/>“That was a possibility?” Ianto asked dryly, placing the drinks on the table and taking a seat next to Jack.<br/>“Well alien languages and customs, they can get complicated,” Jack replied with a smile, Ianto smiled back. Jack never would have let anything happen to him and Ianto knew it.</p><p>Ianto leaned in closer to Jack, his fingers on Jack's face, closing the space between them. But there it was again that pit in the bottom of his stomach and he knew what it was now. Their lips were practically touching and it would have been so easy to just let it happen but Jack pulled away.<br/>“What's wrong?” Ianto asked, his hand slid down to Jack's neck, stroking his thumb absently against Jack's jaw line. It only made the knots in his stomach worse, it was wrong it was all wrong.<br/>“Just don't,” he said.<br/>Ianto's hand dropped down Jack's arm and onto his hand that was on the table.<br/>“What is it Jack?” Jack looked down at their hands on the table. It was easier than looking into his eyes.<br/>“You're not real,” He replied, still looking down.<br/>“None of this is, it's just a dream,” he kept looking at their hands, Ianto's placed carefully on top of his. It felt so real it always did. He could feel Ianto's hand, the smell of sweat and smoke from the crowded bar, the smell of citrus from the sand on peoples boots. “You're just a figment of my imagination,” Jack said allowing himself to look up at Ianto's eyes those beautiful eyes that Jack would do anything to see again now, but was too stupid to let himself open up to during life.<br/>“Yeah,” Ianto said with a sad smile, “But it was fun to pretend, at least for a little while,”<br/>“No,” Jack said, his hand reaching up to touch Ianto's face. “Because any minute I'm going to wake up and you're going to be gone.”<br/>He felt a tear roll down the side of his face.</p><p>Jack opened his eyes, he was breathing heavily, his heart pounding. He placed his hand on his chest looking up at the wooden slats on the underside of the top bunk above him in Gwen's spare room, trying to steady his heart beat. He didn't have those dreams as often anymore but then it had been so long since Jack had been to earth, that and everything with Eve was stirring things up. The good dreams were the worst, at least with the bad ones he got to wake up into something better.</p><p>The room was dark, Jack sat up, turning so his legs hung over the side of the bed. He reached for his coat that was on the chair where he had left it before going to sleep. Slipping his hand into the inside pocket and taking out what was inside.<br/>The cold metal comforting against his skin, he discarded his coat back to the chair. Opening his hand up to reveal the only indulgence Jack allowed himself.<br/>He could hardly see the pocket watch in the dark but he could feel the weight and shape of it, stroking his thumb across the surface. He closed his hand around it and lay back down. He held his hand with the watch in against his chest and closed his eyes. He knew he wouldn't sleep again but he lay there in the dark, the only piece he had left of Ianto Jones held close.</p><p>***</p><p>Sitting up Jack turned on the light, he could hear movement coming from the room across the hall, from Anwen's room where Eve was staying. He checked his watch it was a little after 5.30, fucking soldiers! Jack thought to himself, always early risers.<br/>Jack placed Ianto's pocket watch back into his coat pocket to keep it safe, before going to check that Eve wasn't attempting to murder them all while they slept.<br/>Eve as it happened was doing pull ups in her door frame.<br/>She was wearing black tracksuit bottoms and a red t-shirt with a faded coke-a-cola logo on the front, her combat boots shining, not a spec of dirt or blood on them from the day before.<br/>“Is it really necessary for you to do that now?” Jack asked casually, learning against his door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.<br/>“What else am I supposed to do?” She retorted not stopping, clearly counting silently with each pull up.<br/>“I don't know,” Jack shrugged “Watch TV, read a book,”<br/>it was way too early for this, he hadn't even had his morning coffee yet.<br/>“Twenty,” Eve said, dropping to the floor, sounding almost disappointed, she sounded breathless too and she clutched her hand to her stomach.<br/>“You should be taking it easy,”<br/>“It just twinges a little,” Eve brushed him off.<br/>“You were shot in the stomach yesterday I would think It did twinge a little,” Jack said dryly, not that he was the most up to date source for such things.</p><p>“You want breakfast?” Jack asked, heading for the stairs.<br/>Eve followed him silently to the kitchen. Jack couldn't work out how someone in combat boots could make such little sound.<br/>He could feel her watching him, studying him as he turned on the kettle. Gwen only had instant coffee not that Jack cared much any more, he drank it to feed his caffeine addiction but rarely took pleasure in it like he used to.<br/>She waited expectantly in the doorway, the normality of the kitchen only slightly more alien to her as it was to him.</p><p>“Sit down,” Jack said, indicating to the small breakfast table in the middle of the room. He searched through the cupboards until he found cereal, pulling out a couple boxes and placing them on the table in front of her with a bowl and milk from the fridge. Eve raised a quizzical eyebrow at him. He sighed it was way too early for this.<br/>“Cereal in the bowl,” Jack explained, finishing making his coffee and sitting opposite Eve, “Then milk and I take it you know how to work one of these?” Jack asked sarcastically, passing her a spoon. Eve took it, rolling her eyes at him in a way that said I know at least ten different ways to kill you with it if that's what you mean.</p><p>Eve reached her hand into each cereal box trying a few of each before settling on pouring herself a bowl of chocolate coated stars and digging in ravenously.<br/>“How did he die?” Eve asked casually after a few minutes.<br/>“Who?”<br/>“My father,” She replied, taking Jack by surprise, she hadn't seemed very interested last night when he had told her who Ianto was, but maybe she just needed time to process it.</p><p>“It's complicated,” Jack didn't want to go into details about what had happened that day, not right now. He took a deep swig of his coffee, the bitter liquid seeming to wake him up instantly.<br/>“Then just give me the basic run down,” Eve reasoned.<br/>“Fine,” Jack said easily defeated, he didn't want to argue with Eve about this and he didn't want her thinking he was keeping things from her either.<br/>“there was an alien, the 456, it was holding the world hostage,”<br/>“I remember that,” Eve interrupted, to Jack's surprise. “Earth history and culture class listed as earth's first official contact with an alien threat, there had been others before but no one could deny the existence of aliens after that,”<br/>“That's right, me and Ianto we went to the building that the 456 was in,” Jack was speaking into his coffee, trying to distance himself from his words.<br/>“we went to give them a choice, to leave or we would start fighting back, they released a toxic gas into the air. Killing everyone inside the building,”<br/>Jack glanced up from his coffee to gauge Eve's reaction but if she did feel anything she wasn't letting it show.<br/>“So you went into enemy territory, guns blazing, half a plan and no back up,” she was eyeing Jack curiously.<br/>“It was more complicated than that,” Jack replied in his own defence but his heart wasn't in it, part of him knew she was right.<br/>“Doesn't sound it. I'm not surprised he died,” she said, it felt like a punch to the stomach.<br/>“Those were terrible tactics.”</p><p>Was she trying to be cruel? Jack suspected the truth was much worse, that was just how she thought, in strategy and tactics and missions and if something went wrong with your mission you deserved what was coming to you.<br/>Jack placed his mug down on the table with shaking hands. Eve poured herself another bowl of cereal.<br/>Jack got up from the table leaving the room. Leaning against the other side of the wall where Eve couldn't see him. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to breath.</p><p>---</p><p>Gwen drove them to the hub, they entered using the lift, the same way they had left yesterday. Jack wasn't sure it was a good idea to show Eve a way out she could use on her own and with this morning's revelations he definitely didn't want to go that way himself.<br/>Gwen had gone up to her office leaving Eve and Jack at what Gwen had confirmed to be Luke's desk. Jack favoured it to using Mickey's as it was much tidier.<br/>“Is it finished?” Eve asked impatiently looking over his shoulder. Jack had only turned the monitor on seconds before.<br/>“Partly,” He replied, opening up the data chips file.<br/>“A lot of the data is still encrypted, they have one hell of a security program, the decryption software is working on opening the rest, but it could take a while, until then we only get a peak at what's inside,”<br/>There were twenty folders each labelled from 2-5-4-0 to 2-5-5-9. Eve pushed Jack to the side slightly, so she was in front of the monitor, her fingers hovering close to the surface over each number.<br/>“This is them? Isn't it?” Jack asked gently “your family,”<br/>“This is all of us,” Eve said, though Jack wasn't entirely sure she was talking to him.<br/>“So there are Twenty of you?” Twenty teenage super soldiers was a lot but a much more manageable number then he had been expecting and was a little relieved.<br/>“No, there are eleven of us,” Eve stated.<br/>“But there are twenty folders,” Jack said curiously. Eve clicked on a seemingly random file, 2-5-4-9, opening it. A picture of a girl popped up onto the screen, at least Jack thought she was a girl, it was hard to tell, her head shaved down to a buzz cut. She had tan skin and dark eyes that were almost black, she couldn't have been more than six, underneath the picture it read '2-5-4-9 KIA'<br/>“Killed in action?” Jack asked hoping he was wrong.<br/>“She died during our first end of year exam, right before we turned five,”<br/>Eve said matter of factly closing the folder down so she could see them all again.<br/>Jack felt ill and suspecting it was only the tip of the iceberg.<br/>“They made twenty of us,” Eve explained before Jack had a chance to try and speak. “we were tested every year from the age of four . If we passed the exam then we moved on to the next year. The end goal being a unit of ten perfect soldiers, eleven of us escaped, a little over a month away from our final graduation.”<br/>“How old are you when you graduate?”<br/>“We graduate at the end of our fifteenth year just as we turn sixteen,” Eve said. “We just didn’t want to lose anyone else,” she sounded almost defensive about it.<br/>“Of course you didn't want to lose more of them,” Jack said trying to reassure her that he was on her side.<br/>“They are your family,”<br/>“Is there any way I can look at these in private?” Eve asked pulling away from the monitor “I mean you can look at them too but I want to be alone for a bit,”</p><p>Jack took a tablet out of the desk draw setting it up so Eve could access the files, only those files. He made sure to lock her out of anything else. She took it, climbing up the stairs to the higher levels, where she would be able to see everything around her.<br/>“Anything interesting?” Gwen asked leaving her office, she had been checking in with local law enforcement making sure there hadn't been any alien activity through the night, because apparently now the world knew about aliens that was something that happened.</p><p>“Some seriously fucked up stuff,” Jack sighed, opening all the folders of the surviving members of Eve's unit over the multiple screens but bringing Eve's to the font in the central monitor. He noticed that twelve folders opened, meaning one of Eve’s siblings had most likely died during the escape. He had thought about opening them all but wanted to just focus on the ones he could save rather than the ones he couldn’t and he filled Gwen in on what Eve had just told him.<br/>“Jesus!” Was all she said in response but she had paled some and pulled up a chair to sit down.</p><p>The first picture that greeted them was Eve, looking much as she did now her hair tied back tightly, stood to attention, no hint of emotion visible. All that was available in the file right now were pictures. Sixteen to be exact, going back to when she was a baby, when she was first taken, the same steely look in her eyes at the age of three all the way till she was fifteen.<br/>“One every year,” Gwen observed. Jack had noticed it must have been when she was twelve that they started to let them grow out their hair, it getting slightly longer with each photograph after that.<br/>“I can't see how this is going to help,” Jack said, “We need the rest of the file,” Jack sighed, running his hands through his hair, he hated this and felt useless.<br/>He had just reopened the energy readings from the previous day about to start reanalysing the energy signature that had transported Eve here when Gwen spoke.<br/>“I need to tell you something,” She said a little hesitantly.<br/>“And you need to know I was planning on telling you yesterday but then everything with Eve happened,”<br/>“What is it Gwen,” he asked gently, he didn't understand why she was being cagey.<br/>“It didn't take long to dig down to the lower levels, we could get in through the car park, the cells and the archives were basically undamaged. And the morgue,” She added looking up to meet Jack's gaze,<br/>“Working perfectly, bloody alien tech is resilient,” it took Jack a moment to catch up with what she was trying to say.<br/>“He's down there isn't he?”<br/>Gwen nodded silently “his personal effects are in the vaults, he didn't have much but it's all down there,”<br/>Jack didn't say anything, he just nodded. Unsure of what to say, Ianto was Torchwood and that was what happened to Torchwood personnel after they died but it still made him feel strange and kind of numb. But then so did most things since he got back to earth. Jack much preferred jumping around the universe and hiding from his problems. His quick stop back to check in on Gwen really wasn't going as planned .</p><p>---</p><p>He needed a distraction so he pulled up the energy readings from when Eve arrived, 1509 readings only 11 of which a person had come through. And Jack was going to find out which even if that meant he had to compare each one to Eve's signature individually.</p><p>Gwen stood up giving Jack's shoulder a light squeeze heading to her office getting the hint that he didn't want to talk about it. Before she went in she turned back to Jack,<br/>“I can put out a world wide request for any and all John and Jane Doe's in the right age range that get picked up off the streets, run what comes in through facial recognition against the photos in the files, it's a bit of a long shot but you never know.”<br/>“Thank you,”<br/>it was a long shot the amount of homeless teenagers globally would be millions, not to mention that the likelihood of Eve's siblings being picked up or found would be slim. Jack had the feeling that if she hadn't have been hurt he never would have found Eve in the first place.</p><p>---</p><p>Jack was about ready to gouge his eyes out with a pencil from boredom. He couldn't find any kind of difference between Eve's signal and the other 1509. Jack had managed to narrow his search down to a little over 700 results by eliminating any signals over oceans or large uninhabited land masses, as it was unlikely that any of Eve’s siblings had been taken from there originally. But there was still nothing telling him which of the remaining signals were the ones that the others came through and which were just ripple effects from the teleport. Jack was beginning to wonder if the ripples were intentional, a kind of cloaking mechanism created by the device to avoid being traced.</p><p>A quick alarm and a notification appeared on the screen, weevil sighting in in a car park not far from them.<br/>Jack jumped to his feet practically bouncing into Gwen's office. This is what he needed a tangible enemy, something he could touch, feel and fight.<br/>“Weevil sighting,” Jack said, masking his excitement as best he could.<br/>“I'll take it,”<br/>“Don't worry about it Jack,” Gwen replied looking up from her desk as if a weevil sighting in broad daylight was nothing to be concerned with.<br/>“I was just about to give Andy a call,”<br/>“Andy?” she couldn't possibly mean Andy the love sick beat cop who, from what Jack could remember spent most of his time following Gwen round with heart eyes, why on earth would she call Andy about a weevil sighting.<br/>“Yes you remember Andy, he runs what,” Gwen said as if that explained everything.<br/>“What?”<br/>“No, WAT,” Gwen explained “W-A-T the weevil apprehension team its a branch of the police,”<br/>“You have got to be kidding me? There are weevil police now?”<br/>“Only in Cardiff,”<br/>Gwen explained “the weevils haven't made it out any further, but it doesn't hurt, they are trained in how to catch the weevils and it gives the Torchwood team more time to deal with the other more complicated stuff that comes through the rift,”<br/>Jack hated to admit it but it made a lot of sense, if the world knew about aliens now of course conventional law enforcement could overlap with Torchwood more.</p><p>“Well that's good,” Jack said trying to be encouraging “but It's one weevil Gwen let me take it, I am going crazy staring at that screen,”<br/>“I'm supposed to meat Rhys for lunch in half an hour,” Gwen sighed<br/>“I don't know if you noticed but I can take care of a single weevil on my own,”<br/>“And what do you suppose we do with the teenage terminator out there?” Gwen asked, indicating where Eve was sitting. “We cant leave her in the hub alone,”<br/>“I'll take her with me, she can stay in the SUV out of the way,”<br/>Gwen sighed “Fine,” She said, holding her hands up in a mock surrender<br/>“but she is your responsibility,”</p><p>---</p><p>“Just stay in the car,” Jack said for what felt like the hundredth time, stay in the car, keep out the way, don't leave the SUV. Eve was sick of it. She was far more dangerous than any alien out there. She could see at least six different ways of killing Jack with just what was in the seat around her and she supposed with Jack being the way he was she could. One after the other and he would still come back.</p><p>The car stopped with a screech. Jack jumped out. “Stay here,” He ordered again, reaching behind and grabbing some things off the back seat. Like she couldn't take care of herself, like whatever these weevil things were could be more dangerous then her and yet Jack looked excited. Positively buzzing. Eve recognized the look, the thrill that came with battle, she missed it almost as much as she missed her family.<br/>And just like that Jack ran off down the other end of the car park, disappearing down an open manhole.<br/>Eve sighed, her head rolling against the headrest, this was ridiculous and a complete waste of resources. She opened the glove compartment and was pleasantly surprised to find an open packet of biscuits 'custard creams' the packet read and Eve tucked in.<br/>So far the only good thing Eve could find about earth was the food. Everything on earth was either too bright or too loud and she was separated from her siblings by thousands of miles but the food on earth was beyond what Eve ever could have imagined back at the facility. Only having eaten nutrient packs specifically tailored to her dietary requirements which tasted now Eve had a frame of reference, not unlike soggy cardboard and olives.</p><p>About 10 minutes had passed, well 8 minutes 32 seconds. Eve had just finished the packet of biscuits and was brushing the crumbs out of the SUV by way of her open door when she saw it.<br/>At first glance it would look like a human male, six foot tall, dressed in a boiler suit but the way it moved was anything but human and Eve recognised it, it was a rogue, a beast supposedly created by the facility specifically for Eve and her siblings to train against. She should have been concerned with why it was on earth or how it had got there but she wasn't.</p><p>Eve knew as soon as she saw it this is what Jack had referred to as a weevil and it was heading towards the manhole that Jack had gone down. Eve jumped out of the SUV closing the door silently behind her and followed it.<br/>Tracking it at a distance through the sewer, Eve couldn't help but think what a joke the whole thing was, was this really what Jack thought she couldn't handle, rouge's or weevils as he had called them were child's play. Literally what they trained with as children.</p><p>Eve heard yelling and snarling ahead of her, the weevil let out a low growl and ran fast towards the ruckus. Eve followed, quick on its heels behind it.<br/>At the end of the tunnel she could see Jack, in hand to hand combat with another weevil, wrestling it away from himself. His shirt torn and bloody. He hadn't drawn his gun but he had a strange looking canister in one hand. Eve's weevil, still unaware of her following it, lunged to attack Jack too. Eve darted forward kicking the weevil's legs out from under it. It fell to the ground with a splash as it hit the water. Eve dropped down kneeling on it with one leg pinning the creature down leaning close over the top of it. The creature thrashed and snarled, struggling trying to get back up, but Eve was stronger than it. She placed her hands either side of its head, snapping its neck. Quick and clean, it was a mercy really.<br/>“What the hell did you do?!” Eve looked up from her kill to see Jack's ashen face streaked with blood and dirt looking over to her. His weevil was cuffed with a bag over it's head and possibly lightly sedated. So it wasn't a kill mission then. Oops.<br/>“I stopped it,” she replied bluntly, she couldn't see the point in bringing one of these things in alive anyway.<br/>“I thought I told you to stay in the car,” Jack practically growled.<br/>“Yeah but it knew I could take one of these easily,” Eve reasoned,<br/>“A good soldier knows their own abilities and takes initiative,”<br/>“Get back to the car,” Jack hissed and started walking ahead of Eve dragging the weevil he had caught behind him “I will have to come back and get that one in a minute,”<br/>Can't leave the body lying around for civilians to find Eve filled in.<br/>“I've got it,” she heaved the body over her shoulders, the creature was a good five inches taller then she was and much stockier but she could lift things over 5 times her body weight and knew how to carry bodies that were bigger than her. In the event that she ever needed to carry one of her injured brothers to safety during a fight she knew she could.</p><p>Jack didn't say anything as they made their way through the sewers back to the SUV.<br/>Jack was mad at her but for what, Eve wasn't sure. Yes she had gone off mission killing the weevil but he hadn't been forthcoming about what the mission was to begin with and she knew she was meant to stay with the car but he didn't know her abilities, she wasn't putting herself or civilians in any unnecessary danger.</p><p>Jack opened the boot of the SUV revealing a sort of cage-like compartment split down the middle by a divider and encouraging the weevil inside the left compartment locking it behind it. Eve dumped the dead weevil on the other side. Jack didn't even look at her as he slammed the doors closed.<br/>“Get in the car,” He ordered through gritted teeth.<br/>“Why are you so mad at me?” Eve demanded “I stopped it, I helped,”<br/>Jack sighed, turning to look at Eve. “You really don't get it do you?” He asked his voice more gentle now and somehow that was worse.<br/>“You killed it and you really don't feel anything?”<br/>“Why should I?” Eve asked “It's a beast, it's nothing,” She was getting defensive, she knew but there was something about the way Jack was looking at her, that made her want to make him understand.<br/>“It was a living thing,”<br/>“I had no choice!”<br/>“Yes you did,” Jack replied shortly, running his hands through his hair. Eve found herself looking at the blood stains and rips in his shirt but there were no wounds.<br/>“You could have restrained it, you didn't have to kill it you chose to do that,” Jack was so calm now like he was explaining something to a child and Eve couldn't stand it.<br/>She turned away from him getting in the passenger side of the car and not looking at him again.</p><p>---</p><p>Jack had taken somewhat longer then necessary to lock away the living weevil, dispose of the dead one and shower. He was avoiding Eve, he couldn't unsee her, killing the weevil, the cold look in her eyes that were so much like Ianto’s it almost hurt. Maybe he had overreacted slightly. It was just a weevil but it was still alive and Jack was just starting to think that maybe she really didn't have any compassion. Maybe he had just been anthropomorphising her, maybe there wasn't anything human left.<br/>By the time he was done Gwen was back from lunch.<br/>“I brought sandwiches back for you two,” She said as a form of greeting “Everything go ok?” she asked brightly.<br/>“No,” Jack stated.<br/>“I see we have a new guest,” Gwen prompted but Jack was too tired to explain what had happened he would tell her later.<br/>“Where is she?” He asked, for the soul reason that he didn't want to leave Eve unsupervised for too long.<br/>Gwen pulled up the camera footage from inside the hub clicking through until she found Eve “In the vaults,” Sure enough Eve was standing in the vaults looking into the cell that Jack had just put the weevil in.</p><p>He went down straight away not trusting Eve to suddenly start killing all of the weevils that they had down there. When he got there she was sitting with her legs crossed in front of the cell. The weevil was in the back corner hunched over making a low moaning sound.<br/>“What's it doing?” Eve asked, having heard Jack approach but not not turning away.<br/>“Do you really want to know?” Jack asked<br/>“Yes,” Eve turned looking up to him<br/>“I think it's grieving,”<br/>Eve looked away from Jack and back to the weevil.<br/>“They have a low level of telepathic ability,” Jack explained “I think it felt what you did to the other one and is grieving it,”<br/>“It's just a beast,” Eve echoed, rubbing her hands against the concrete floor, perhaps trying to convince herself.</p><p>“The first time I saw one I was four years old,” Eve said not looking away from the cell for a second “they bought it into our class room on the first day of the year, it was chained but it was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen,” Eve gingerly reached one hand forward to touch the glass as the weevil let out a deep and primal howl.<br/>“We would spend the next twelve months training for our first end of year exam.” Eve's hand dropped to the ground. Jack didn't move, frozen in place, his heart breaking but wanting Eve to finish. “ten miles of forest, three rogues, weevils” she explained “and seventeen four year olds, each only armed with a small hunting knife,”<br/>she smirked “It should have been a blood bath,” Eve said, looking up at Jack with what he suspected was pride in her eyes.<br/>“But it wasn't because we were strong and we were fast and we were smart and were so much more than seventeen individual soldiers, we were one organism moving together. We were so much more than human,”<br/>“What about the girl?” Jack asked thinking about the file Eve had shown him the girl who had died during their first exam.<br/>“She was slow, she wasn't strong enough to live,” Eve stated, Jack searched her face for some kind of emotion linked to the child but if it was there he couldn't see it.<br/>“We were so proud of ourselves,” Eve continued. “We passed, only one fatality and we enjoyed it,” Eve said, a hollowness to her voice.<br/>She moved forward sitting on her knees leaning her forehead gently against the glass.<br/>“It's what I was trained to do,” she whispered and Jack felt she was no longer talking to him but to the weevil<br/>“I don't understand this world,” it was almost silent, pain seeping from her words.<br/>Jack crouched down beside her placing his hand on her shoulder and she didn't try to shake him off “You can be more than what they made you to be, don't let them define you,”</p><p>Jack stood up and Eve followed suit, still not looking away from the weevil. “Come upstairs,” he said “Gwen brought lunch,” He added, he had noticed how much Eve ate. He suspected she had a fast metabolism, a side effect from the heightened strength and speed and whatever else she could do.<br/>Eve nodded, “I'll be up in a while,”</p><p>Eve was 'gone' for the rest of the day, running the maze-like tunnel system like some kind of endurance test only ever stopping to drink. After a while Jack had taken the security footage off screen. She couldn't hurt anyone. She was just trying to run away from her pain, something Jack was all too familiar with.</p><p>Jack tried running other decryption programs over the files Eve had given them but nothing was working. Tosh would know how to crack it. He thought on more than one occasion about asking Gwen to call the rest of Torchwood back from UNIT early but he couldn't. Wouldn't. Eve was volatile and if something happened and the rest of the team decided she was too dangerous, too unpredictable they would put her in a cell. The flimsy trust that Jack was trying so hard to build would be destroyed forever. And Jack needed it. To protect her, for Ianto. Whether Ianto had known it or not she was his and Jack felt responsible for her because of it.</p><p>---</p><p>“No Anwen again tonight?” Jack observed. Eve had vanished up to Anwen's room before and after dinner much as she had the previous night leaving Jack and Gwen alone, Rhys washing dishes in the kitchen.<br/>“She's staying with Rhys' parents,”<br/>“Out of curiosity... and I get it I really do, but who are you protecting her from?” Jack asked sincerely, “Eve or me?”<br/>Gwen sighed, shaking her head and taking Jack's hand in hers, entwining their fingers together. “I love you Jack, you know that,” she said “You are my best friend in the whole wide universe,” She added with a small laugh, at how much more accurate the statement was for them, but there was something sad about her smile. “You were in every bed time story I ever told her, her knight in shining armour who saves the world,” Gwen gave his hand a gentle squeeze “And if she met you Jack she would adore you and then when you disappear again, which you will,” she said quickly before Jack could interrupt with false platitudes “it would break her heart,”<br/>Jack nodded with a weary smile “You're just trying to protect her,”<br/>“I also don't want her staying in the house with a trained killer either,” Gwen added letting go of his hand and giving his shoulder a playful nudge. Jack chuckled.<br/>“We can stay at the hub tomorrow,” he said. “You shouldn't have to rearrange your life just because I showed back up,” He added, sensing her protest.</p><p>“Jack,” Eve called out as he walked past her door, he stopped opening it and went in. She was sitting on the floor, the tablet on her lap.<br/>“How did you know it was me?” Jack asked, surprised.<br/>“Your footsteps,” She said simply. Sighing when she realised he didn't understand. “They're heavier then Gwen's but more... coordinated than Rhys'” she explained.<br/>“That's impressive,” Jack chuckled.<br/>“I'm sorry for what I said this morning,” Eve said, not looking up from the tablet, it took Jack a moment to realise she was talking about what she had said about Ianto dying.<br/>Looking down at her Jack couldn't see which file number she had open, just the picture of a boy with dark skin, a square jaw and eyes that almost looked golden. He didn't recognise the picture, he knew that meant it was from one of the files belonging to the dead cadets. He looked to be a similar age to Eve and Jack wondered how recently he had died<br/>“I was wrong,” She said quietly, staring down at the tablet with such force, like she was trying to will something to happen just by thinking it.<br/>“Sometimes you can do everything right, complete your mission,” she looked up at Jack now, a faraway look in her eyes. “but they die for the simple reason that sometimes your enemy is just stronger than you are,”<br/>Jack nodded “I appreciate the apology,” he said unsure of what to do, slightly creepy and psycho Eve that he was starting to get used to was one thing but Jack didn't know what to make of apologetic and sincere Eve. It was almost human.<br/>“What was his name?” Jack asked, nodding down to the photo of the boy.<br/>“Ellis,” she murmured, “he was named after Grace Ellis, she was one of the most influential earth writers of the twenty-fifth century,”<br/>Jack nodded, he knew of her.<br/>“He used to tell the most wonderful stories,” Eve said with a sad smile, shaking her head. Jack wondered if she was trying not to cry.<br/>“Try and get some sleep,” Jack said when it became apparent that Eve was done talking and left closing the door behind him.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Day 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>mention of background character suicide in this chapter, not graphic but something to keep in mind if you can get triggered by that sort of thing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You can have whichever bunk you like,” Gwen was saying as she showed Eve the sleeping quarters in Torchwood. Gwen had explained they were new, they had converted one of the units of cells.<br/>“Through there on the left are toilet and shower facilities and on your right is a kitchen,” She smiled expectantly waiting for Eve to pick a bunk. She dropped the backpack that Gwen had filled with her borrowed clothes down onto the bunk furthest from the door.<br/>“I’ll go put these in the kitchen, feel free to help yourself,” Gwen went through the door in the back of the room with the two large shopping bags of food she had bought on the way in that morning. Eve suspected she was feeling guilty about not wanting Eve in her house when her daughter came home.</p><p>Eve sat down on the end of her bunk looking around at the room. She could see where the cells used to be. Each of the longest walls had three bunks lining them. Each bunk had a small table on its right side with a lamp. It was sparsely decorated, the walls painted with a light beige and a dark grey carpet on the floor. Eve liked it, it reminded her of home.<br/>“If you don't mind,” Eve said when Gwen came back into the room “I think I will stay here a while, have a lie down, i've got a bit of a headache,”<br/>“Of course sweetheart,” Gwen said “just let me know if you need anything,” she stroked Eve’s hair and it took all of Eve’s willpower not to lean into the touch. Gwen withdrew her hand, smiled at Eve and left.</p><p>Eve did have a headache, a low pressure in the back of her skull but she had no intention on staying in the barracks, there was someone she wanted to go and see. She took a blanket from her bunk and refilled one of Gwen's shopping bags with packets of food, grabbing something else she needed from her backpack, dropping it into the bag of food and headed for the morgue.</p><p>Eve pulled the drawer open, she had read the Torchwood files on the alien cryogenics, she could open it for two minutes before he would start to defrost at which point Jack and Gwen would be notified by the Torchwood systems. So she would have to be quick.<br/>He was younger than she expected, she had seen his Torchwood personnel file, so she knew how old he was and she had seen his picture but lying there he looked much younger. He had a cut on the right side of his face, it looked fresh. Eve wondered how long before he had died he had gotten it, her training told her it couldn’t have been more than a couple of days.</p><p>“Hi,” she said stroking her thumb down the side of his face. She wondered if she looked like him, they had learnt about genetic similarities within biological families back at the facility and it had intrigued her, but it was so hard to tell.<br/>The count in the back of her head told her it was time to close the drawer to keep Gwen and Jack from coming down.</p><p>She sat down on the floor beside Ianto’s door, so it was just above her head but to the left. Eve pulled the blanket around her shoulders and pulled out a couple of the packets of food that Gwen had bought, from the bag. ‘Wotsits’ and ‘Pop Tarts’ opening them and stuffing a handful of the bright orange puffed things into her mouth. From Eve’s limited experience with earth food she had discovered that the brighter the packaging the better the food inside tasted.</p><p>She rummaged through the bag, it had sunk to the bottom under the bags and boxes of snacks, finally she pulled out a book. A black leather diary she had found in the vaults with Ianto Jones’ belongings. She settled in leaning against the cryogenic wall pulling the blanket around her.<br/>“Let's see what you can tell me about him,” She said, looking up to Ianto’s door.</p><p>
  <em>My first day back, none of the others will look at me, I don't blame them after what I did. I still can't believe Jack let me come back at all. I thought for sure he would retcon me back to infancy and he would have been right to. Maybe it would have been a mercy then I wouldn't feel like this, hollow and empty like all that is left is pain. I wouldn't have to live with these memories. What I did. What Lisa did. The images of what she did to Dr. Tanizaki and Annie burned into my mind forever and it's the least that I deserve. I could have got them all killed Toshiko, Owen, Gwen, Jack and still he let me come back. I don't know what I would have done if any of them were seriously hurt because of me.</em>
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  <em>I find myself wondering if it's the physical hurt that Jack is most upset about. I betrayed him for months, all of them. Lying to them everyday right from when I got him to hire me but I did it for her because I loved her. A part of him has to understand that.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I know now that Lisa my Lisa died during Canary Wharf I was just too blind to see it. All that was left was an echo, a ghost of the woman she was. I just hope that he can, they can forgive me.</em>
</p><p>Eve knew that feeling the guilt, the burden of being responsible for something so much bigger than yourself. She put the book down for a moment, taking another strawberry pop tart out of the box. Once she had eaten it, she looked back up to where Ianto’s body lay shut away in the wall. Without intending to, she started talking. She needed someone to hear.</p><p>‘We were part way through our eleventh year. I was in my bunk, I couldn't sleep. To my left Carter was fast asleep, of course she was 2-5-5-9 then. I rolled over, to my right 2-5-5-0 was looking up to the ceiling, his eyes wide open and his lips were moving slightly, he was counting. He must have sensed me looking because he turned toward me and smiled but kept counting after about a minute he sat up.<br/>“What are you doing?” I whispered, not moving. He knew the rules as well as I did, cadets must remain in their bunks between 2100 hours and 0530 hours.<br/>“The cameras turned off,” he whispered back, turning so he was facing me and his feet touched the floor.<br/>“It does every night at exactly 10.41 until 11.04, I think it's some kind of power surge, a glitch in the system” he said with a smile,” I sat up looking at him and smiled back,<br/>“I noticed it a fews weeks ago but wanted to be sure before I told anyone,” he always was the smartest of us.<br/>“Wake the others,” I told him realizing my opportunity “I have an idea I want to talk to you about,”<br/>We all sat together in the middle of the barracks, all of them looking at me. My palms were sweaty. I was so nervous. What if they thought I was crazy or defective?<br/>“What is it?” 2-5-5-0 prompted.<br/>“I was thinking about the stories and books we have been reading in class and how all of the people in them have names,” I could feel their eyes on me, What if they told Captain Hanes our instructor? What if I got dropped from the program? but I kept going, I couldn’t stop now. “Even our instructors and the doctors have names and we are people too right?” a ripple of uncertain nods went around the circle, they were starting to understand.<br/>“I think we should have them too?” After saying it it felt like a weight had been lifted like suddenly I could breath.<br/>“How would we choose them?” William, 2-5-5-3, asked.<br/>“We could take some time, choose names that fit the person, like 2-5-5-0 you could be Nikola,” It was something I had been thinking on for a while and had a couple ideas already.<br/>“Like Nikola Tesla,” 2-5-4-6, Joshua asked excited, understanding where I was coming from, the others all nodding in agreement.<br/>“You are always the best at temporal engineering, humans wouldn't have developed the technology without his work milenia before,”<br/>“Nikola,” he said it like he was testing it out, then he nodded and smiled “I like it,”</p><p>Eve ran her hands over her head until she hit where her hair was tied up, she picked the book back off of her lap. “I think you would have liked Nikola, he was quiet you know but smart, so smart,”<br/>She brushed the orange powder from the puffed things, onto her trousers. The ones she had chosen today were soft and grey. Eve would have considered them almost perfectly practical if it hadn't been for the bright pink stripe down the sides and the embroidered cartoon kittens at the ankles.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I dont know what I was thinking, it was impulsive and stupid. I couldn't stop thinking about Tosh and that alien, Mary. It wasn’t that I felt betrayed like Gwen and Owen did at the idea of her reading my thoughts, a little intrigued maybe, though I have a pretty good idea what she heard. What I couldn't stop thinking about was how lonely Tosh must have been. How hurt and betrayed she must have felt when Mary turned on her. I can understand that, all that pain and anguish and betrayal. I will try to make more of an effort with her in the future, but it made me realize I was so tired of feeling like this, feeling this hollowness.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Everyone had left for the night. I was just finishing up when he came back. I asked him if he thought Tosh would be ok? He said his team was more resilient than most people gave them credit for and he smiled, that smile that he does that makes you believe that everything is going to turn out fine, like he has already seen it happen.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>And I was so tired of feeling empty, so I kissed him and for the first time in such a long time I felt so alive. Right until I panicked and left. I tried to hide it, how freaked out I was, how freaked out I am. And it's not because he’s a man although I know it probably should be, at least in part. We always had this flirtation, this connection between us, whatever it was. And I didn’t panic because he’s my boss or that he’s Jack but because I felt guilty, for the first time since Canary Wharf I wasn't thinking about her, about Lisa. But maybe I can't live for a dead woman forever.</em>
</p><p>Eve discarded the now empty wotsit packet replacing it with ‘monster Munch’ and the empty pop tarts box with ‘jelly babies’. Eve liked these gooey and sweet, if a little macabre.<br/>Eve couldn't tell if it was the chill from the morgue or her gradually worsening headache heightening everything around her. She pulled the deep red hooded sweatshirt that she had found upstairs around her, doing up the zip. Before picking up the diary again.</p><p>
  <em>I was just starting to get used to him being gone, finding my place with the team, in the field. Just starting to think that he might never be coming back and trying to accept it. Then he shows up, all action movie swagger like nothing happened.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>But the first sign of something from his past and he runs off alone again. I know I shouldn't be jealous of John Hart or the Doctor for that matter but I am, they know parts of Jack that I never will, pieces from his past, who he was. The past which Jack is so guarded and secretive about. I'm not naive enough to think he meant he came back just for me but part of me hopes that subconsciously at least I was part of the reason he did.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He asked me on a date, I don't know how I feel about it. We’ve never spent time together alone outside of work. Unless having sex in my flat after hunting aliens, because it was closer then the hub, counts. I’m pretty sure it doesn't. I don’t want to fuck everything up because even the tiniest semblance of a relation ship with Jack is worth it. Worth the secrets, the possibility that he might just disappear again and the fact that one day he will outlive us all. Worth everything.</em>
</p><p>“Why is he though?” Eve asked Ianto, “What makes him so special?” her head was starting to hurt more, she reached into the bag pulling out a bottle of water and downing half of it. Lolling her head back against the wall behind her, closing her eyes against the harsh lighting. Focussing on her breathing like they had been taught to do, to not feel pain, but it wasn’t working not this time anyway. Keeping her eyes shut she started talking to distract herself from the deep ache at the back of her skull.</p><p>‘Every night when the cameras went off we would get up, sit together and tell stories. We would all have a go, make up our own or recite ones that we had read. Ellis and William were the best at it though not just making them up but telling them too and on the nights that they told stories together it was like magic. Like their words came to life and you see could these brand new worlds so clearly.<br/>It was a routine training exercise about six months ago. We were making our way through a lot of abandoned warehouse buildings off base. The idea to find six parts to a key that would unlock our way back. There were Rogues and Hoix, a lot of them but we could handle those.</p><p>We split up to save time, six groups of two with Ellis and Dianna going to higher ground for better visuals, making sure nothing snuck up on any of us. I was with Freya, we didn't have much trouble finding ours locked in the basement of one of the easterly buildings.<br/>Then there was this explosion like thunder, it shook the ground. We ran towards it, it was where William and Odin had been searching. Odin had been standing outside, standing guard, making sure no Rogues got in. The piece of the key that they had found was on a pressure plate attached to a bomb, William was trying to disarm it. Odin was ok but William was right at the centre of the blast.<br/>Ellis wasn't the same after, he was quiet, hardly spoke, but he was still a good soldier so they didn't notice.<br/>They never taught us how to lose people, they told us that if one of us died it was because we weren't strong enough, we weren't good enough soldiers. It was the way things were meant to be, only the strong would survive, but William was strong and he was brave and was smart and we didn't know how to grieve. Ellis didn't know how.<br/>Three weeks later we were weapons training all of us had various different energy weapons, making our way through an assault course hitting as many targets as we could. I don’t know what made that day different but part way round the course Ellis just stopped and he waited for us to go past, said he would catch up in a minute. Then he. He shot himself. A high powered Sulurian blaster at close range, liquefied his brains. No way for him to heal.’</p><p>Eve opened her eyes surprised to find that she had been crying. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand “We didn't tell stories after that instead we planned our escape.” she said gravely to the empty room. She grabbed another handful of jelly babies, pushing back a new wave of tears. She was usually more in control of her emotions then this. She reached up, placing her hand on Ianto’s door “Love gets people killed,” She whispered to it.</p><p>I’ll never forget the sound it made, the creature, a huge shapeless beast who came to earth and met the very worst of humanity. I lost myself to it, to that creature's pain, did things I didn't know I was capable of.<br/>After everything, once everyone had gone home Jack showed up at my apartment and he understood.He understood the darkness, the parts of me that I try so desperately to push away and hide.<br/>I keep thinking about what Tosh said 'we're all sad and single' but she's wrong. She's so wrong. Everything that happened today, Gwen and Rhys, that alien, being held hostage all of it. It made me realize how much I care about him. I love him. I love Jack, maybe I shouldn't. I really tried not to and everything would be so much simpler if I didn't. I won't tell him though, I can't, it wouldn't be fair to him. I know he doesn't feel the same way. I don't think he can, I think he closed himself off from all of that a long time ago to protect himself. Not love generally, just that kind of love, the kind that leaves you completely at the mercy of another person.</p><p>---</p><p>Jack pushed open the door to Gwen’s office, she was hunched over a large stack of paperwork. The one part of the job Jack didn't miss.<br/>“You think we should go check on her?” Jack asked, it was almost 3 and Eve still hadn't come up from the sleeping quarters.<br/>“Let her sleep,” Gwen replied softly looking up “I don't think she has really since she got here, Anwen’s bed never looked slept in,”<br/>“Do you think we can save her?” he asked after a moment.<br/>Gwen looked thoughtful for a moment “I don’t know, I hope so” She said with slight shrug “she's been through so much,”<br/>Jack just nodded, Eve hadn’t known a normal day in her life, she was raised as a soldier and trained to kill. How do you save someone from that?</p><p>---</p><p>
  <em>I thought for sure I was going to die when the Dalek got into the hub, I would have too if it hadn't been for Tosh and her time lock.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>A part of me, a small irrational part always thinks this is it for him, this is the time his luck runs out. And staring face to face with that Dalek knowing Jack was out there against so many more of them I thought just maybe this was the time he wouldn't come back.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>He did of course, he always does. He is asleep next to me right now, the distinct smell from the Dalek weapons fire clings to him like burning metal, he died up there. I know it. Not that he said, he rarely does.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>All I can think about is how if I died I would be leaving him all alone. Not in the physical sense, he would always find people, he would move on and forget about me. What I keep getting drawn back to is that no one else sees it. They see the smile, the coat, the flirting, the swagger and they think that's all there is. That he’s fine. What they don't see is what it costs him. Dying and coming back over and over again, watching everyone he has ever cared about die and knowing that he might have to do it for the rest of eternity. They don’t see how deep the wounds go.</em>
</p><p>Eve yawned, she was getting tired. She had completely lost track of time down there in the morgue, her bag of food was quickly diminishing. She picked at the last couple of biscuits in the packet, Jammie dodgers she liked those too but perhaps not as much as custard creams.<br/>She pulled the blanket around her neck, settling against it sleepily. So tired she couldn’t tell if she was speaking or dreaming as she thought about the last time she saw her family.</p><p>‘We couldn't stay after what happened to William and to Ellis, and all the others before them. We had no choice but to leave. We planned for months. All twelve of us gathering information everyday only able to talk about it for those twenty three minutes at night when the cameras were off.<br/>The night of the escape we all got up, got dressed, put on our boots and at 10.54 we left.</p><p>“We stay together, no matter what, we stay together,” Diana had said.<br/>There wasn’t a lock on the door. Why would there be? They never thought we would try and leave. There were two guards at the end of the hall. Both human. They were easy.<br/>Freya and West took their guns. I took a radio. We managed to get to the security room without being seen. Once the cameras were back online they would know we were gone. We had to stop them from telling the other guards, to buy us more time. It was manned by a Sulurian and a Judoon. We had seen him around base, none of us could find out how he got there and what he must have done to be outcast from the rest of his race.<br/>Even with the guns they were difficult to take out but we did it. Odin injured his shoulder but nothing that wouldn't mend. Nikola and Naoko put the cameras on a loop. Someone would notice the bodies soon but it would buy us enough time to get to the server room.<br/>Maybe it was an unnecessary risk but we needed something, something tangible that proved what we are, that we were real and so were they.<br/>The server and transport rooms were in a different building to the barracks. It had been raining that day and the grass between them was slick with mud. I’ll never forget the feeling of running through the dark with my family, mud splashing at my ankles. It’s the most free I've ever felt.</p><p>We were as quick as we could but just as we were leaving the server room word came in over the radio.<br/>“Red alert 6. Use lethal force if necessary,”<br/>The transport device wasn’t far from the server room. We encountered some guards on the way but took care of them.<br/>Nikola was programming it. We were just about to step through when they started firing. Projectile weapons. Nikola went down. Headshot, nothing we could do for him.<br/>Three days ago, how was it only three days ago?<br/>Me, Freya, West and Odin were the only ones with guns. We laid down cover fire for the others. Odin was yelling at everyone to get through. Freya and West went next.<br/>Then I got shot, felt like getting ripped apart. I was so sure I would get left there alone but Odin grabbed me, pulled me through with him.’</p><p>Subconsciously she touched the spot on her stomach where she had been shot. It was basically healed now, just a scar.<br/>“It was all my fault,” she said, closing her eyes tighter, resting her head against the wooden doors behind her.<br/>“They called me Eve because I gave them life, I gave them names and because of those names we became a family and we loved each other, but because of that love Ellis and Nikola died and the others are all lost,” she pulled the blanket around her tighter, scrunching her eyes shut.<br/>“It’s all my fault,” she whispered, into the empty room</p><p>---</p><p>“Hey, Eve, you awake?” Jack asked quietly as he went into the sleeping quarters. He had knocked but there was no reply. Gwen had left for the night and after Eve had missed a second meal that day Jack had gotten worried and went to see if she was alright.<br/>As soon as he entered the room he could see it was empty. He strode over to the door on the other side of the room but the kitchen and bathroom were both empty too. “Damn it!”<br/>He ran a scan for human life with his wrist strap, Eve was in the one place he had been desperately avoiding, So much guilt locked away in a single room, Suzie, Gray, Toshiko and Ianto.</p><p>Slumped against the wall, fast asleep, with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders in hello kitty pajamas and junk food wrappers littered around her Eve looked so very human and normal. Until you realized the wall she was asleep against was an alien morgue full of cryogenic stasis tubes and she was asleep pretty much right next to the body of her father.</p><p>As Jack approached her he found it hard to keep his eyes off of the door she was sitting by, Ianto’s door. That was until he was close enough to Eve to see what she was holding, clutched against her chest, still open, was the diary. Jack felt numb.<br/>He gathered up the empty packets stuffing them into the bag that was lying next to Eve.<br/>“Eve,” He said but she didn't stir. Carefully he picked her up and carried her up to the sleeping quarters.</p><p>He lay her down gently on one of the bunks, careful not to wake her. He took the diary from her arms, closing it and placing it on the small table.<br/>He undid the laces on her boots, sliding them off as carefully as he could, she stirred a little when he removed the second one but didn't wake up. He took a blanket off one of the other bunks shaking it out and draping it over her. Picking up the diary he turned to leave.</p><p>“You lied,” Eve’s voice barely a whisper in the darkness. Jack turned around, she was lying on her side half asleep, looking over at him.<br/>“You said he was your friend, but he wasn’t, he was in love with you,”<br/>“How did you get this?” He asked changing the subject “You shouldn’t be able to access the archives,”<br/>“You should know better then most Jack, not all wars are gun fire and trenches some wars can be won or started by putting the right piece of information in the right hands,”<br/>“You’re trained in espionage,” he said, not wanting to think about what else she could have got access to if she wanted.<br/>“I’m trained in everything,” Her tone was lazy.<br/>“You had no right to read this,” Jack said, he was mad but unable to find the energy to yell. “It was private, personal,”<br/>“He didn’t think you loved him but you did, didn't you?” she said.<br/>“Yes,” he admitted, his anger subsiding, in a hundred years he had never told anyone that.<br/>“If you wanted to know about him you could have asked me,”<br/>“But I didn't want to know about him,” she stated as if it explained everything.<br/>“Then why?”<br/>“I wanted to know about you Jack,”<br/>“And?” he asked hesitantly.<br/>Eve was silent for a moment “I’m tired,” She said rolling over and pulling the blankets up around her neck. Making it obvious to Jack that the conversation was over and it was time for him to leave.</p><p>With the realization that Eve had had full access to the Torchwood systems over the past few days Jack set up an alert on the camera outside of the sleeping area. To let him know if Eve decided to go on any late night adventures.<br/>He lay down on the couch making the unconscious decision that he would sleep there rather than in the private bunk room under the office.</p><p>He had been lying there for hours not sleeping, Ianto’s diary lay unopened on the coffee table beside him. His eyes kept getting drawn back to it. Daring him to read it.<br/>Running his hands through his hair he sighed and got up, walking away from the table and the diary. Like he had told Eve it would be an invasion of privacy and he didn't have the right either. It was one thing reading a sentence or two when Ianto was alive to tease him with but there was something more invasive about it now.</p><p>Myfanwy squawked up above as Jack walked around the base.<br/>‘he didn't think you loved him’, that’s what Eve had said. how could he think that? If he really thought about it Jack knew exactly how. He kept his feelings close at least the ones that mattered anyway. Admitting how he felt for Ianto, would give him something to lose but he still did, he still had everything to lose and he lost it.</p><p>The grating behind Jack shook and creaked as Myfanwy landed on it. She used to do this before, in the middle of the night sometimes, when the hub was quiet, the only noise was the trickling of the water tower. And only with Jack or Ianto, none of the others. Jack had always thought of her as theirs. Well theirs as much as an extinct creature could belong to anyone.</p><p>Cautiously Jack walked closer to her, it was always about a 50/50 toss up as to whether she would accept him or seriously injure or kill him. She never hurt Ianto though, not once.<br/>“Hey you,” Jack said gently reaching out his hand.<br/>She squarked, shuffling forward as she did, so Jack's hand could pet the side of her neck. After a moment she turned her head nipping gently at his t-shirt.<br/>“I don't have anything for you, sorry,” He said.<br/>Ianto always carried a small amount of dark chocolate on him for such occasions, which was probably why she had never tried to kill him.<br/>Myfanwy screeched indignantly into the air.<br/>“Yeah, I miss him too,” Jack whispered, running his hand over her bumpy skin, one last time before she took off again. Flying up to her perch. As he watched her fly away he made the decision to lock the diary back in the archives but right but now he was tired, he would do it in the morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So i know this chapter is a bit clucky in places but it was my favourite to write, just my little phyco being creepy in the morgue.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Day 4 - part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this one came out really long which is why i have split it into two halves, hope it still comes across ok.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Here,” said Eve, placing a steaming mug down on the coffee table in front of Jack. He hadn't been awake long, he woke up to the sound of the alarm telling him Eve had left the sleeping quarters.<br/>“What’s this?” He asked suspiciously, unsure of where he stood with Eve after yesterday's events.<br/>“Coffee, I noticed you drink it in the morning,” she said.<br/>“Well, thanks,” he replied hesitantly but took a swig of the coffee wincing as he did. It was burnt and Eve had put what Jack assumed was close to fifty sugars in it. Jack took another large gulp nodding reassuringly at Eve who was looking at him expectantly. Jack didn't want to put her off of trying to do something nice in the future. Jack felt a little light headed probably from the sugar. He placed the mug down carefully in front of him. Missing the table completely and dropping the mug on the floor, his head swimming.<br/>“How's your coffee, Jack?” Eve asked. <br/>Jack looked up at her, the world slowing down around him. She had poisoned him, he tried to speak but no words came out.<br/>“It's ok,” Eve said, catching him as he fell, laying his head on a pillow on the couch. “It's a paralytic, shuts down all your internal organs, you will pass out and then you will die,” she crouched down by his head gently stroking his cheek. “there's something wrong with me, something inside my head is broken and has been since I left,” <br/>She rubbed the side of her head with her palm, a single tear rolling down the side of her face “It's all my fault Jack, everything and I can’t save them,” his vision was darkening as Eve stepped away from him and everything went black.</p><p>---</p><p>Gasping for air Jack woke up his hands cuffed behind him to the rail that overlooked the medical bay. Eve stood at the computer terminal in front of him, his gun tucked into the waistband of her trousers and his wrist strap on the desk beside her. He pulled on the handcuffs but it wasn't going anywhere, they were the dead lock sealed cuffs that were only used for the most dangerous aliens.<br/>“What are you doing?” Jack called out, surprised by the wrasp to his own voice, he was still weak, whatever that poison had been it really must have messed up his insides.<br/>“Thought you would be out longer,” Eve said, not turning away from the computer terminal. <br/>“Im locking Gwen out of the hub, she will know as soon as i've done it so I had to do it last,” she explained.<br/>“but why? What are you trying to accomplish?”<br/>“you might try and stop me,” Eve said as the hub was engulfed in darkness. She had initiated a lock down. The backup lights switched on illuminating everything with an eerie red glow. “I can't save them,” She said again, turning to Jack “But I can save him.”<br/> Jack had no clue what she was talking about. Save who? He needed to keep her talking, to give Gwen a chance to get in, but did he want that. Eve had proven that she wasn't only willing but capable of killing, would she kill Gwen if the opportunity arose?<br/>“What are you talking about?” Jack pleaded, he needed more time.<br/>“Did you even ask yourself how, Jack? how I healed so fast,” Eve asked with a smirk and shaking her head like this was all some game. Jack shook his head, he hadn't. He could barely understand the basics of her DNA. Gwen was right they should have called the rest of Torchwood back as soon as he found Eve, let Martha examine her properly.<br/>Picking up a piece of scrap metal from the pile of alien junk on the desk, Eve dragged it against her hand slicing it open as she did. She held her hand up for Jack to see. Bloody and raw the gash glowed faintly for a second before starting to knit itself back together.<br/>“Nanogenes?” Jack asked, he had never seen them act like that before and where had they come from.<br/>“Biological nanogenes, specifically encoded to my DNA,” Eve explained crouching down in front of Jack discarding the piece of metal.<br/> “I can trick them,” She whispered smilling “His DNA is so close to mine I can trick them, I know I can,” <br/>the world fell out from under Jack as Eve stood up. She couldn't mean... she couldn't... it wasn't possible. She was about to leave down the tunnels to the lower levels.<br/>“Eve!” He just about managed to yell after her but he didn't know what he was going to follow it up with. She turned and shot him with his own gun.</p><p>“Jack, Jack can you hear me?” Once more Jack was pulled kicking and screaming back to life. Gwens face, full of concern in front of him. “What the hell is going on Jack?” The lights were back on and Jack noticed, gratefully that he was no longer handcuffed, Gwen must have found the key.<br/>“We have to find Eve,” Jack said standing up, Gwen tried to help but he shook her off, staggering over to the desk and putting his vortex manipulator back on. “Call them,” Jack said, running a scan for human life, though alerts from the morgue already told him where she was. “Get the rest of Torchwood back here now!”<br/>“Jack!” Gwen snapped making him look at her “What the hell is going on in my base,”<br/>“I don't know,” Jack admitted. “We don't even know what she is Gwen,” <br/>“Jack,” <br/>“She is in the morgue,” Jack interrupted looking at the readings from his wrist strap “We need help on this,”<br/>“But what is this?” Gwen pushed as Jack headed for the tunnels <br/>“She is armed, she is dangerous, she is delusional and she is in the hub,” Jack said to clarify things “Other than that does it matter?” he ran off down the tunnels through the twist and turns of the labyrinth that made up the lower levels until he was at the morgue.</p><p>She was standing at the end of the room, where he had found her yesterday. One of the drawers was open and she was stood over a body, Ianto's body. <br/>“What are you doing Eve?” Jack called as he approached. <br/>She didn't look up, she had one hand on Ianto's forehead, the other on his chest. The places where her skin came into contact with him glowed and flickered slightly. It wasn't possible, couldn't be possible. Nanogenes didn't work like that, they did what they were programmed to do and Eve had siblings who had died so they couldn't bring back the dead.</p><p>“Eve stop!” he yelled running. As he got closer he could see blood running from Eve's eyes and ears. Jack tried to push the image of Steven dying the same way out of his mind but he couldn't. She was going to kill herself and that would be his fault too. <br/>Eve coughed, a small trickle of blood running out of her mouth. He lunged, knocking Eve to the ground and breaking whatever connection she had been trying to form with Ianto.</p><p>He rolled her over, her skin as white as ash and cold to touch, she wasn't moving. He needed to get her up to the medical bay now.</p><p>“Jack,” a raspy welsh voice called from behind him and not for the first time that day Jack Harkness stopped breathing.</p><p>---</p><p>“Don't speak, save your breath,” he was on the floor, Jack's arms around him. He could feel it, the poison or whatever it was, slowly dimming the lights on reality. This was it, Ianto realised, he was dying.<br/>“I love you,” he needed to say it at least once before he died. Breathing was hard, his eyes heavy. It would be so easy to just close them, go to sleep and never wake up. <br/>“Don't.” Jack said so desperate, he really didn't believe he was worthy of it but how could Ianto not  “Ianto. Ianto. Ianto, stay with me,” Jacks voice an echo so desperate and pulling Ianto back “Ianto, stay with me, please. Stay with me, stay with me, please, please...” He opened his eyes again it was taking so much energy now but Jack was there and he was holding him and Ianto wasn't ready. </p><p>He was ready to die, as ready as anyone could be, he had always known he would die young from the moment that he joined Torchwood. But he wasn't ready for this, wasn't ready to leave Jack, he needed more time.<br/>“Hey it was … good yeah?” He could feel Jack's hand tremble, his eyes glazed with tears, he wasn't letting fall, even now trying to be brave.<br/>“Yeah,” it wasn't much more than a whisper, he could feel his own face wet with tears. God he wasn't ready there was still so much about Jack he didn't know.<br/>“Don't forget me,” he pleaded he wanted to reach up, to touch Jack, to kiss him but he couldn't move the darkness pulling down on him.<br/>“Never could,” he was lying, had to be. Jack was always lying, not even Ianto could tell when sometimes.<br/>“A thousand years time, you  won't remember me,” a tear escaped from the corner of Jack's eyes. Those eyes, such an intense blue but sometimes almost grey, like nothing Ianto had ever seen before and they were so much older than his face.<br/>“Yes I will, I promise, I will,” and god how Ianto hoped it was true and the darkness pulled him under.</p><p>Something burning and bright ripped its way through him, tearing Ianto apart cell by cell.<br/>“Jack!” he tried to yell but it was more of a croak, his throat scratching. He looked around, he wasn't in Thames house anymore. He was somewhere else somewhere familiar but he didn't recognize it immediately, he had never seen it from this angle before. Lying down looking up at it. Oh god it was the morgue.<br/>”Jack!” he called again, clearer this time, panic rising in his voice.  His breath short and sharp catching in his throat.<br/>He felt Jack's hand on his chest before he saw him. Ianto could feel himself becoming more calm just from that single touch.<br/> “Just breath,” Jack said looking down at him.<br/>“Whats going on?” He asked, still slightly panicked. Jack's eyes were huge and more worried than Ianto thought he had ever seen them.<br/>“Everythings fine,” Jack said, his other hand gently holding Ianto's face “Everythings fine, You're ok,” but the words fell flat like he was saying them to reassure himself as much as Ianto. Ianto was so tired he wanted to close his eyes and lean into Jack's touch, allowing Jack’s niceties to wash over him. But the 456,  they were just there, he had died.<br/>“What happened? The 456...” Ianto started to ask.<br/>“Jack i've got a pulse,” It was Gwen at least it sounded like her “it’s faint we need to get her to med bay now,” <br/>“I've gotta go,” Jack said, tearing himself away from Ianto. “ Stay with him,” Jack ordered.<br/> Ianto was faintly aware of Jack leaning down and picking someone or something up off the floor and running out of the morgue.</p><p>Ianto gingerly pushed himself up to a sitting position, every part of him ached. He turned his legs hanging over the edge of the draw. He was about eye level with Gwen, her face ashen.<br/>“Oh my god, Ianto,” she pulled him into a bone wrenching hug, eventually pulling away sniffing and wiping tears from her face “Sorry,” she muttered as she did, she reached her hands up cupping Ianto's face with them, stroking his cheek softly “god look at you,”<br/>“How long?” he asked, he had died. He knew that much, he could remember it and why else would he be in the morgue.<br/>“Sorry?” <br/>“How long have I been dead?” it had to have been a while if they had dug the morgue out from under the rubble a week maybe three depending on the density of the debris and Gwen looked she looked different, tired.<br/>“Twelve years,”<br/>“Twelve years, but that's not...” how could it have been so long it felt like seconds. He could see it now though, on Gwen's face, more than just tired “How?”<br/>“I don't know sweetheart, I'm sorry,” She said, shaking her head gently and holding back a fresh wave of tears.<br/>“Come on,” Ianto said, carefully pushing himself off of the draw, he wobbled slightly as his feet hit the ground but Gwen’s arm came quickly around his waist to steady him.<br/>“Careful,” every bone and muscle in his body ached but he supposed that was what happened when you spent the last twelve years as a human popsicle. <br/>Ianto pushed through it with Gwen’s help, making his way as quick as he could out of the morgue and after Jack. That's what it always came down to, in the end, following Jack.</p><p>Following Gwens lead over to the medical bay Ianto could see the main part of the hub rebuilt and new. It was disorientating like seeing a picture of someone you knew as a child grown up. You could see the person they had been but they were different now and no longer the same person you had <br/>known. A familiar screech drew his attention upward. He allowed himself a second of joy at the fact that Myfanwy had escaped the explosion and was safe now, before bringing himself back to the situation at hand.</p><p>He held onto the rail that overlooked the medical bay to steady himself.<br/>“What's going on Jack?” Gwen called from beside him. Jack stood at the autopsy table a young woman lay out before him, her pale skin stained with blood around her face. <br/>“What's the ETA on the others?” Jack asked back, not looking up. Scanners set up around him, he was attaching electrodes to her head and arms. <br/>“They are taking a chopper back, about 30 minutes?”<br/>“Who is she?” Ianto asked, Jack looked up for just a second and exchanged a strange look with Gwen. One that Ianto couldn't place.<br/> “Who is she, Jack?” Ianto pressed, he hated being in the dark and whoever this girl was, Ianto suspected she had something to do with him coming back from the dead.<br/>“Her name's Eve, she’s a genetically engineered super soldier from the future,” Jack replied, he didn't look up from the scans that he was running. <br/>The girl in front of Jack was small, she had dark hair and soft round features and a slightly pointed chin. She looked about as far from a super soldier as Ianto could have imagined.<br/>“And she brought me back?” Ianto asked not needing an answer, it was all that made sense. “Is she going to be ok?”<br/>“I don't know,” Jack admitted, still not looking up from the girl “These readings don't make any sense, not that they really did before,”<br/>“Why would she save me?” Ianto asked, he had never seen this girl before he was sure of it.<br/>Jack was silent, taking a breath before he started “They were human once,” he said gently, filling up a small basin of water from the scrub sink and starting to clean the blood off of her face. “babies stolen out of time,” Jack looked up from the girl, his gaze meating Ianto’s, just for a second, “and erased from memory,” <br/>Ianto’s mind went blank, what was Jack trying to say, Gwen's hand on his arm drew his attention to her and the look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.</p><p>“She’s mine,” He said after a moment, the implication dawning on him but his brain not accepting it. <br/>“She can't be, I don't… I’ve never had kids,”<br/>“That you remember,” Jack said, carefully wiping away blood from the corner of the girl's mouth. It was all getting to much, dying, the girl, the hub looking the way it did. It was too much, Ianto’s head was spinning.<br/>“I need to get some air,” Ianto said, pulling away from the railing.<br/>“You can't,” it was Gwen, “we don't know what she did to you, you can't leave the hub, not yet,” of course he couldn't. If he was like Owen he could pose a threat to the public and not even know about it.<br/>“Then I need some space,” he left them there, Jack in the medical bay and Gwen watching him leave. <br/>He went to the conference room, he needed to be alone, needed time to think, to try and make sense of all this new and absurd information.</p><p>---</p><p>Collapsing onto one of the chairs in the conference room, Ianto buried his head in his hands. Focusing on nothing but the sound of his breath. He was alive, he was twelve years in the future but he was alive and that was better than the alternative.<br/>He needed to compartmentalise, if he tried to think about everything that was going on right now he would go insane. He pushed thoughts of the girl, Eve, who supposedly was his daughter to the back of his mind he could deal with that later. He even pushed the thoughts of Jack away. Right now he needed to catch up. He noticed the tablet at the end of the table, it was more advanced than he was used to but Torchwood always did have the best kit so he figured it out.</p><p>He accessed the Torchwood network using Jack’s codes, his own would be long since deactivated. The first thing he needed to know was what happened with the 456 and how did they stop them. He did a quick search through the records. Finding a single file, locked with the highest level of security clearance, stating it was only to be read if the 456 returned. Ianto read it anyway.<br/>He skimmed over the pages on how the children started talking, of the signal and the aliens' demands. He read about the attack on Thames house. He read about the government bending to the demands, soldiers chasing down families in the streat. He thought about Rhiannon, about David and Mica and hoped that they were ok.<br/>Finally he got to how the 456 were stopped, his heart broke for Jack as he read about what he had to do to save the world. Why was it always Jack who had to make the impossible sacrifices to save everyone else?</p><p>Ianto leant back in his chair, closing his eyes for a second. He hated thinking about it, thinking about the kind of pain and guilt Jack must be carrying around with him.<br/>He opened his eyes again, he needed to be practical, soon the new Torchwood team would be here and Ianto didn't want to be caught short handed when they arrived, so he pulled up the personnel records.</p><p>The first thing he noticed was that Gwen was listed as team leader, where was Jack? Had he even been on earth these past years?<br/>He recognised Martha Jones immediately, she was the new medic and he was somewhat relieved at that, the only other person he would trust to find out what the hell was going on with him would have been Owen.<br/>Next was Mickey Smith, Ianto had never met him but Jack had told him stories and Ianto remembered that Martha had married Mickey. They were on their honeymoon when the 456 attacked.</p><p>The next name Ianto recognised was Lois Habiba, John Frobishers assistant who had helped them spy on the government's dealings with the 456. Ianto had never met her in person but she seemed smart, brave too. She was his replacement now apparently.</p><p>The last person was Luke Smith. It took Ianto a minute to realize who he was, he had only ever seen him once over the subwave network, when the earth had been stolen by Daleks, but he was just a teenager then. He was the same age as Ianto now, that was a weird thought. The first time he could truly see how long it had really been.</p><p>He heard the sound of the cog door opening and the floor below came to life, with the chatter and greetings as the four newcomers came inside.<br/>He waited a few minutes, preparing himself  for the inevitable stares. He made his way slowly through the hub. Bags had been dropped to the ground and everyone was gathered around the medical bay. So far no one had noticed him arrive, Ianto stayed back unsure of how to announce himself.<br/>“Her condition hasn’t changed since you found her?” Martha was asking from down in the bay, Ianto couldn't see her but recognised her voice.<br/>“No she was exactly like this,” Jack replied, his voice full of concern, he cared about this girl and was worried about her.<br/>“Gwen you broke up over the phone, you said something about her healing someone,” Martha was saying. Gwen must have called them when they were on the way here, filling them in as much as she could. There was no reply but Ianto, suspected she must have nodded. <br/>“Who was it? I will need to check them out too,” Martha was saying, well that seemed like as good an opportunity as any.<br/>“That would be me,” Ianto said, taking a few steps closer to the medical bay, as everyone turned to look at him. </p><p>“Oh my god!” Martha breathed looking from Jack to Gwen and then back at Ianto, her shock more apparent than the others, probably because he had never met them in person before.<br/>“Sorry for the dramatic entrance but it's not everyday you get to come back from the dead,” he said dryly. <br/>“Well not for most people anyway,” he added with a smirk in Jack's direction. Before that would have gotten him chuckle or at least an eye roll but Jack didn't even turn to look at him.</p><p>Martha, now over the initial shock, pushed past Gwen and Jack who were standing with her in the medical bay and ran up the steps, wrapping her arms around Ianto.<br/>“But how?” she asked once she pulled away.<br/>“Pretty sure that's your job to figure out,” Ianto said with a smile.<br/>“Right of course,” She laughed nervously then turned back to the rest of the team “The girl...”<br/>“Eve,” Jack interrupted.<br/>“Sorry, Eve is stable for now,” Martha explained her voice shaking slightly, probably from adrenalin “I’ve set some tests to run but I think the best way to figure out what's going on with her is to find out what she did to Ianto,” <br/>“Ok,” Gwen agreed. “You do that, Luke, Mickey there's a data chip at that station I need you to to get into it,” they nodded in agreement, everyone starting to break the gaze away from Ianto.</p><p>“This way,” Martha said to Ianto and they started to walk in step “Don't take this the wrong way but why you?” <br/>Ianto shrugged “Jack said something about her being my daughter,” he admitted a little awkwardly, following Martha up the stairs towards the secondary exam room, he still wasn't sure about how he felt about that himself.<br/>“I didn't know you had any children,” <br/>“Neither did I,” Ianto replied and reading the confusion on Martha's face added “It's been quite the day,” Both of them letting out a small awkward sort of laugh.</p><p>“We should test your memory too,” Martha said as she pressed a needle into Iantos arm, making him wince, and started taking blood. “Can you tell me your name,”<br/>They were in the spare medical room, Ianto was sitting on the examination table in front of her.<br/>He sighed “Ianto Jones, born August 19th 1983,” he said, as Martha removed the needle and pressed a small cotton ball onto his arm. “I feel fine,”<br/>“Ianto you have been dead for twelve years,” Martha said sounding a little exasperated “I think I will be the judge of what's fine,”<br/>Ianto nodded slightly, he couldn't really argue with her on that.<br/>“Press up against my hands for me,” she held her palms out flat and Ianto complied “What’s the last thing you remember?” she asked gently as she started running a hand held scanner over him again.<br/>“I was in Thames house, with Jack,” he said, Martha was no longer looking at her scanner her eyes big and sad looking at Ianto “The 456 released a gas into the air and I died,” he knew he was glazing over some of the details but he didn’t want to relive it. “Did I miss anything?” He asked when Martha didn't say anything.<br/>“No, that about covers it,” she reached her hand out her hand giving his forearm a reassuring squeeze.<br/>“Jack wasn't here was he?” Ianto asked, he was trying to put the pieces of the past twelve years together.<br/>“No,” she said, “from what I can gather after the 456, he traveled around earth for a while but after about six months he left, none of us have seen him since,” she added.<br/>“What about you? How'd you end up here,” he asked, remembering Martha's adamance about not joining Torchwood in the past.<br/>“Gwen called, said she needed some help containing the rift while she rebuilt, so me and Mickey came down to lend a hand, it was only supposed to be temporary,” she said with a chuckle, Ianto understood that this job had a way of getting under your skin. <br/>“And I have some good news for you,” she said looking at her scans “From what I can tell you Ianto Jones are very much alive and human,”<br/>“That's something I suppose,” he said, thinking of Owen.<br/>“I will have to run some more test to figure out how any of this is possible, but from what I can tell you should be fine,” she said with a smile “God it’s good to see you,”<br/>“Did I miss much? past twelve years,” He asked trying to fill in the blanks that he couldn't get from a quick scan of the torchwood records <br/>“Gwen had just found out she was pregnant when I died,”<br/>“Yeah Anwen, she's a sweetheart,” she said with a smile, “me and mickey have two of our own actually, twin boys,”<br/>“Wow,”<br/>“Yeah, I love them to bits but some days I just want to lock them in the cells,” she said with a laugh, Ianto smiled. It was nice just having a normal conversation for a minute. “Any way I should run these bloods.”<br/>“Yeah,” Ianto agread, slightly disappointed as his brief moment of normalcy passed, he pushed himself off of the table. <br/>“I don't suppose there's anything I can change into, I feel ridiculous in these,” he added, indicating down to the white morgue scrubs.<br/>“Of course,” she said, leading Ianto out of the small room “Lois,” she called and the other woman seemed to appear out of nowhere <br/>“could you take Ianto down to the archives show him his things,”<br/>“Sure, no problem,” she said brightly “this way,” Ianto followed though he could probably find his way on his own. He used to know every inch of the archive rooms and from what he could tell Gwen had built everything else up to more or less to the same plans.</p><p>“You think I could be alone?” He asked hoping not to hurt Lois' feelings. Seeing his whole life packed away into boxes was somewhat surreal. There were also not as many as you would think you could fit a whole life into.<br/> Susie had needed a whole storage locker but everything he owned packed away neatly into 3 metal archive boxes. Lois had helped place them carefully on top of a table in the centre of the archive room.<br/>“Of course,” she said brightly as she started to leave, stopping when she got to the door, “just let me know if you need anything else,” he nodded and she left walking briskly away.</p><p>The smallest box contained his personal effects, there wasn't much, a few books and DVDs, some photos, him and Rhiannon as kids, a couple pictures of David and Mica and the only picture he had kept of him and Lisa. He noticed the absences of his stopwatch and diary. His diary was in a desk drawer when the hub exploded so was probably destroyed, as for his stopwatch he had it on him when he died so it was most likely lost.<br/>He turned his attention to the other two boxes, the ones containing his clothes.<br/>A couple pairs of jeans and hoodies but mostly suits, all folder neatly. He hated to think of Gwen having to do it, all alone. Following Torchwood protocol even when it looked like there was no Torchwood left.</p><p>Carefully he picked out what he wanted to wear. Black suit, white shirt, dark blue tie. Ianto had considered just throwing on a pair or jeans and t-shirt but he needed to feel some semblance of normalcy. </p><p>He made his way through the twisting labyrinth to the showers. Letting the warm water envelope him, sealing him off from the world for a while.<br/>He got out, changing into his suit and disposing of the scrubs he had been wearing for the past twelve years in the rubbish bin by the sinks.<br/>Looking at his reflection in the mirror he straightened his tie. He couldn't help but notice the cut he had gotten when the Hub exploded was gone, completely healed. Absently his hand reached up and touched the space on his cheek where it had been. He closed his eyes taking a deep breath, he learnt a long time ago the best way to deal with Torchwood was to just accept the weirdness and roll with it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ianto's alive!!!! <br/>and the rest of the team are here, i know no team will ever compare to the original but for a while i this group would be a pretty cool alternative. Any way hope you are enjoying it so far.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Day 4 - part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jack watched Ianto following Lois down the tunnels presumably to the vaults and his things. He looked guiltily towards the diary on the coffee table, he hadn't had a chance to put it back in the vaults yet. <br/>Just then an alarm went off.<br/>“We have rift activity near Grangemoor Park,” Luke called from his station where he had been trying to decrypt the data disc.<br/>“What’s it look like?” Gwen asked, emerging from her office.<br/>“Somethings come through, pulling up CCTV footage from the area now,” he replied. Jack walked over to the desk looking over Lukes shoulder with Gwen. <br/>“Oh bloody blowfish,” Gwen sighed as the image of a smartly dressed blowfish appeared on screen “As if we don't have enough to deal with,”<br/>“Don't worry I got it,” Mickey said heading to the weapons room “Not exactly like boy wonder needs my help anyway,”<br/>“You can’t go alone,” Martha said, coming up from the medical bay.<br/>“I'll go too,” said Gwen, sounding a little exasperated.<br/>“No I’ll go,” Jack said “You should stay here in case anything happens with Eve, the others might need you,” he reasoned, looking for any excuse to leave the hub.</p><p>“Fine,” She said, clearly somewhat resigned to the idea of not leaving the hub while so much was going on anyway.<br/>He seized his chance, he wasn't ready for the inevitable conversation with Ianto, he picked the diary up off the table.<br/> “Can you give this to Ianto?” he asked, handing it to Gwen “Eve took it from the vaults,” he explained.<br/>“And why can't you?” She asked<br/>“Well i'm going with Mickey and don't want to just leave it lying around,” he could tell she could see through his flimsy excuse. <br/>“You will have to talk to him eventually,” she said but sighed taking the diary anyway.<br/>“So who’s coming then?” Mickey asked back from the weapons room and ready to go.<br/>“You and me Mickey mouse just like old times,” Jack said, flashing a smile and headed for the exit.<br/>“Hey be careful,” Martha said, giving Mickey a quick kiss on the cheek, “Both of you!” She called after Jack as Mickey joined him.</p><p>Mickey drove, Grangemoor park wasn't far from the underground car park,only about a 5 minutes drive. <br/>“So how've you been?” Jack asked casually, checking the scanner for any activity in the area that could indicate where the blowfish was headed.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing here?” Mickey shot back, much to Jack’s surprise.<br/>“What do you mean,” Jack shrugged “i'm here to help,”<br/>“That's a load of crap if ever I heard it,” Mickey said, turning down a side street. “Anyone could have backed me up, Martha, Gwen, Luke, Lois any of them,”<br/>“Reports coming in from the supermarket,” Jack said, hoping to change the subject.<br/>Mickey didn't take the hint, “you’re hiding from your problems,” he said pulling the SUV up outside the supermarket. </p><p>They both got out of the car, ignoring the very pale looking civilians that were running out of it.<br/>“You don't know what you're talking about,” Jack said stubbornly, following Mickey's lead and drawing his gun as they went inside.<br/>“Don't know what im talking about,” Mickey scoffed, “I ran to a whole other universe to hide from my problems,”<br/>A middle aged woman in a store uniform ran into Mickey. He caught her gently <br/>“I.. in ..the bbb back,” she stammered before running outside.</p><p>“And you know what happened,” Mickey continued like they hadn't just been interrupted or that they weren't in fact currently trying to catch a potentially harmful alien, “they just followed me all the way there.”<br/>“This is completely different,” Jack said. </p><p>They had reached the store room door, Mickey indicated for Jack to take the other side of the double doors.<br/>They burst through them together, guns drawn. The store room was empty save for a rather terrified looking stock boy. Crates and boxes were knocked all over the place. A crate of vodka lay open a few bottles missing from it, one of which was smashed and empty on the floor.<br/>“Where'd it go?” Mickey asked the stock boy, who just raised a shaking hand to point to the fire exit at the back of the room. <br/>“Oh come on,” Mickey sighed, rolling his eyes.</p><p>They followed the trail of minor destruction and empty vodka bottles through the twisting alley ways around the various shops, for about fifteen minutes in complete silence. Both of them now focussed on the mission at hand. <br/>Turning the corner they found the blowfish staring at the dead end of the alley, hands on his hips. He turned around hearing them approach, swaying slightly as he did.<br/>“I appear to have gotten turned around,” He said, his croaked voice slurring slightly.<br/>“You think,” Jack said, holstering his gun, the alien was clearly unarmed and very inebriated. <br/>“Where were you supposed to be?” he asked casually. He noticed a small rectangular device hanging around his neck, it looked to be a type of teleporter.<br/>“One minute, I was in the Oharis cluster,” he said, swaying more violently than before and steadying himself by leaning against a large bin. <br/>“Then I was in this miserable little place,” he sneered looking around.<br/>“Put the gun down Mickey,” Jack sighed. If the alien had been to Oharis then he was most likely not just drunk but very, very high.<br/>“Why, what’s the Oharis cluster?” Mickey asked, holstering his weapon as he did.<br/>“Pleasure planets,” Jack explained, though he had never been to Oharis himself he had heard of it “Pretty low budget too,”<br/>“You mean like?” Mickey started but drifted off unsure of what to say.<br/>“Yep,” Jack said with a smirk “Whatever your heart desires,” he took a step towards the alien “Let me see that,” He said pointing to the device around its neck.<br/>The alien leaned away from Jack, his hand clutching the device around his neck. “You’re trying to rob me,”<br/>“No, no i’m not,” Jack sighed “I just want to help,”<br/>“No!” it spat “This is some kind of trick, a scam to steal my teleport,”<br/>Before Jack had a chance to say anything else Mickey had stepped forward, punching the blowfish square in the face. It fell to the ground, slumped against the bin.<br/>“He was really starting to get on my nerves,” Mickey said with a shrug. <br/>“Very diplomatic,” Jack said sarcastically.<br/>“Diplomacy's not my job,” Mickey replied and leant down taking the device from around the unconscious alien's neck and handed it to Jack. <br/>“What is it?”<br/>“Transporter,” Jack said turning it over in his hands “Pretty basic tech, can transport someone maybe a thousand miles, say planet to planet in Oharis,” He popped the back open, just as he suspected “it’s counterfeit,”<br/>“So?” Mickey asked unsure of why counterfeit alien tech was their problem.<br/>“It's supposed to use the energy emitted by solar flares to travel, but instead it's latching on to all kinds of energy,” Jack pulled at a couple of the wires inside of the device making it spark.<br/>“Like the rift,” Mickey said nodding.<br/>“Yeah, which supercharged it and brought him here.” He explained, he pulled a small silver chip out of the device and refitted the back before placing it back around the aliens neck.<br/>“What are you doing?” Mickey asked. <br/>Jack pressed the central button on the device, taking a step back and watching as the alien vanished before their eyes “Sending him back to his last point of transport,” he said.<br/>“How do you know he won't come back by mistake again?” <br/>Jack smiled and handed Mickey the chip he had removed “That's the energy converter, the rift charged the device enough for a return trip but he's not going anywhere else any time soon,” Jack said.<br/>Mickey pocketed the chip, turning and heading back in the direction of the SUV. Jack followed.</p><p>“Anyway what I was saying before is that nothing got better until I faced things head on,” Mickey said, continuing their earlier conversation, much to Jack’s dismay, as if everything with the alien was just a mild inconvenience.<br/> “I came home, met the love of my life, got a great job, I got two amazing if completely crazy kids,”<br/>“I’m happy for you,” Jack shot back “But like I said before this is completely different,” he was tired of this and didn't want to talk about it.<br/>“Yeah it is different, the person you’re hiding from is in love with you,” Mickey said a little smugly. Twelve years really was a long time, Mickey was sounding less like an idiot with each passing second and Jack hated it. </p><p>“What would you know about it?” He asked, he was fairly certain that Mickey had never even met Ianto.<br/>“I been working with Martha and Gwen for the past twelve years you really think you never came up,” Jack didn't know whether to be pissed off or flattered “Look i'm not telling you what to do but you should at least talk to the bloke, he deserves that much,”<br/>Mickey stopped talking, having decided not to push the subject further, they walked in silence for a while until they saw the SUV.<br/>“Come on,” Mickey said with a smirk “i’ll buy you a pint,”<br/>“Won't the others need us?” Jack asked.<br/>“Please, I thought I was ok with the alien tech until Luke joined, they won't even notice we’re gone,” He said getting into the car. “Besides if I don't at least pretend to ask you where the hell you’ve been, i’ll get an earful when I get home,” he chuckled.</p><p>Having had some time to get his thoughts in order Ianto wanted to talk to Jack more than anyone but when he got back to the main Hub after his shower Jack and Mickey were both gone, some alien in Grangemoor Park Luke had told him. Ianto was at a loss as what to do with himself , he would just get in the way trying to help Martha or Luke, Gwen was in Jack's office, no her office he had to remind himself, she was on the phone to UNIT some bureaucratic stuff that Luke hadn’t gone into details about when Ianto asked.<br/>So with nothing else to do Ianto found himself drawn back to the familiarity of the archives. </p><p>Where they had only been minimally damaged during the explosion they didn't have the same earieness to them as the rest of the hub, like looking at something out of focus. They were the same, exactly the same as they always had been.</p><p>He made his way slowly through the archive rooms letting the familiarity of them wash over him. The drawers and cabinets, full of Torchwood case files, going back to when Torchwood 3 was first founded. Shelves of alien artifacts from so many different places and times, and boxes and boxes of personal effects belonging to long dead Torchwood staff. His own things were still open on the small table in the center of one of the rooms, he took a book out of the top. He didn't remember buying it nor was he sure if he had ever read it but it was something to do to try and keep his mind occupied.</p><p>He made his way to the back corner of the room, there was a blind spot in the security cameras there. Thanks to his somewhat extensive after hours activities with Jack he had nearly all of the blind spots in the hub memorised. <br/>Up in the main part of the hub he could feel everyone watching him. Even when they didn't mean to, just out of the corner of their eyes, and Ianto didn't want to be watched for a little while.</p><p>For over an hour he tried and failed to read, his thoughts kept getting drawn back to dying and to Jack. ‘I take it back’ ‘Not him, anyone but him’ that's what Jack had said when the 456 had released the gas those words kept echoing inside his head. Ianto knew that it was just a knee jerk reaction and no one person is worth that price. But part of him, the darker part that he tried to keep hidden, liked that in that moment Jack was willing to trade the world for him.</p><p>The words on the page were swimming, they had no meaning to him. Persistently he tried, tried to push the memory of dying out of his mind, memories of Jack and how Jack could barely look at him now. He wondered how long it had been for Jack, if he wasn't on earth it was entirely possible that he had travelled in time too.<br/>The sound of footsteps broke him from his thoughts, looking up he saw Gwen in the doorway walking towards him something clutched to her chest.<br/>“How’d you find me?” He asked casually.<br/>“Like I didn't know what you two were up to, I know all of the blind spots too,” She said with a smirk “I knew to avoid them,” they both chuckled slightly  “mind if I join you?”<br/>“By all means,” He said, shuffling over to make room for her, relieved for the company.<br/>“Jack asked me to give this to you,” Gwen said, passing Ianto what he then recognized as his diary.<br/> “Eve took it from your things,” she explained.<br/> Ianto wasn't sure whether to be relieved, that Jack hadn't been reading it or deeply disturb by the fact that a total stranger, who was also his daughter had read it and all of the highly personal and on the odd occasion somewhat graphic things he had written about. He decided to settle on both.</p><p>He took the diary from Gwen with an appreciative nod.<br/>“He's avoiding me,” Ianto stated, he knew there were bigger issues at play right now, but things with Jack were tangible and so much easier to focus on.<br/>“Jacks avoiding everyone,” she replied “has been for years, ever since the 456,”<br/>“I know what happend,” Ianto said “I read your file, the one incase they came back,”<br/>“I think it was the last straw, he blamed himself for everything, not just Steven but Tosh and Owen and Gray and you,” she said sadly, “he's been running ever since.”<br/>They sat in silence together for a few moments. Ianto's heart ached for Jack and the burdens he carried.<br/>“So what's she like then? Eve,” Ianto asked, he had so many questions that he wanted answering about the past twelve years but they were all too complicated and messy. At Least this was easy, well easier.</p><p>“Well she's... umm... you know,” Gwen stuttered, not looking at Ianto.<br/>“Honestly what's she like,” he pressed, ‘super soldier’ from the future didn't exactly give him much to go on.<br/>“Honestly?” Gwen asked looking at him, he nodded in response, “she's a little creepy, she is so quiet in everything that she does and it's, a little creepy,” Gwen said with a chuckle “and you know a touch psychopathic,”<br/>“A kid anyone would be proud of,” Ianto said dryly and they both chuckled slightly<br/>“You know at the heart of it all I think she’s a good a kid,” Gwen said “I think she's lost and afraid, she just wants to find her family,”<br/>Ianto nodded silently unsure of what to say.<br/>“And of course there’s the other thing,” Gwen added with a smirk. Ianto raised a single questioning eyebrow.<br/> “Look I don’t know how to tell you this,” she said taking an overdramatic deep breath, “but she’s uh… she’s english,”<br/>“No,” Ianto said, putting as much dramatic emphasis in the word as possible. “Off all the things you could have told me about her,” he joked.<br/>“I know,” Gwen sighed with a smile, “It’s one thing having a trained assassin for a kid but having a child with an accent like that,” Gwen tutted shaking her head, “I don’t know how anyone could stand it,” she finished making them both laughed properley.</p><p>“Come on,” Gwen said, smiling at Ianto after a moment and getting to her feat “Lois got lunch for everyone,” she reached out her hand pulling him up with her and they walked arm in arm back to the main hub.</p><p>---</p><p>Jack stood at the back of the conference room leaning against the doorframe, they had all been summoned there not long after he and Mickey returned.<br/>Martha and Gwen were at the other end of the room chatting quietly. Mickey had just sat down on the left side of the table next to Luke. But Jack wasn't looking at them.</p><p>Jack was watching Ianto, sat on the other side of the table, his back to him but Jack could tell he was on edge, could see his shoulders were tense. He had changed since Jack had left, swapped the morgue scrubs for a dark suit, he was looking more himself but Jack suspected it was just for show. Jack was feeling so lost and confused he couldn't even imagine what Ianto was going through. Mickey was right he wasn't helping anyone by avoiding him, but he wasn't ready for that conversation, though he suspected it would happen whether he wanted it to or not.</p><p>Lois came in carrying a tray of mugs, handing one to Jack. He took it gratefully, inhaling the bitter smell of the coffee and placing it on the cabinet beside him. She proceeded to hand them to everyone in the room. Gwen took a seat next to Ianto and once she had handed out the remaining drinks Lois sat down next to Mickey.</p><p>“So what did you find?” Gwen asked once everyone was settled.<br/>“Eve’s physiology is unlike anything I have seen before,” Martha started opening scans of Eve up onto the screen, “she is a work of biological and genetic engineering on a level that I can just barely understand,”<br/>“Have you figured out what's wrong with her?” Jack asked, after everything he still felt responsible for the girl.<br/>“This is a sample of Eve’s blood,” Martha explained. “And this is Ianto’s,” the two corosponding images showing side by side on the screen. <br/>“Eve’s blood for all intensive purposes looks completely normal and at first glance so does Ianto’s, except there are these,” the image of Ianto’s blood work zoomed in closer to some of the cells, making them look more angular almost octagonal, “I would have missed them if I didn't know what to look for but these are nanogenes, unlike any I have seen before, they are completely biological,”<br/>“And they are in me?” Ianto asked, shifting uncomfortably where he sat as the attention turned to him.<br/>“Yes,” Martha continued indicating towards the image of Eve’s blood. “but Eve’s blood has none, under normal circumstances the nanogenes would reproduce creating more of themselves as Eve needs them but there are none left,”<br/>“What does that mean for her?” Ianto asked, which surprised Jack, it was hard to tell what Ianto thought about Eve but he sounded almost concerned.<br/>“Her body has never had to function without them,” she said, taking a drink from her mug and placing it down on the table in front of her. <br/>“they would have been tied into everything, not just her ability to heal but her immune system and her pain receptors even muscle growth,” she explained, “her body is trying to keep her alive it just doesn't know how, so it's put her in a kind of stacis,”<br/>“So I give her back the nanogenes,” Ianto said.<br/>“Unfortunately that won't work, the nanogenes in your blood are unstable, they’re not linked to your physiology like they are with Eve so they are deteriorating, in couple of days they will be gone completely,” Marth said, Jack tensed what would that mean for Ianto, as if sensing Jacks next question she continued, “you will be fine though, the damage that they repaired will stay that way but we can't help Eve with them,”<br/>“So how do we help her?” Jack asked a little harsher then he meant to, all of this talk and it still felt like he had no answers.</p><p>Martha sighed, taking a seat at the head of the conference room table “Unless I have a healthy sample of the nanogenes I don't think I can,” The room was silent for a moment, the weight of it hitting them all differently but none of them not even Ianto could understand how Jack was feeling because here was another person whose life could be lost because of him. <br/>“There's something else,” Martha said, putting a scan of Eve’s brain up onto the screen along with a bunch of wiggly lines which Jack suspected to be brain waves. “Most of Eve’s brain is in a stasis like the rest of her except for this,” Martha explained pointing to a rather severe red line. <br/>“What is it?” Gwen asked, trying to take charge of the conversation again. It was her team after all.<br/>“My best guess, it's a telepathic link between Eve and others like her,” <br/>“She said they moved as one,” Jack said, amazed that he hadn't thought of it sooner, what better way to make sure your super soldiers can work perfectly together other than make them telepathic.<br/>Martha nodded “Right, the problem is the link is growing, being apart from the others put her in a state almost like withdrawal, did you notice anything like that?” she asked, the whole table of people turned to look at him.<br/>He shrugged “I don’t think so,” he tried to think, it had only been a few days and Eve could be so erratic.<br/>“No mood swings? irritability? Headaches?” Martha pressed, Jack and Gwen exchanged somewhat guilty glances. That had summed up most of what they had just put down to general teenage super soldier strangeness.</p><p>“Maybe some of that, it was hard to tell,” he said awkwardly, crossing his arms against his chest.<br/>“The thing is for the others it will subside in a couple of weeks, except that Eve is on top of the rift and the state in which she is in is making her brain resonate more with it,” the rest of the room looked about as confused as Jack felt, Martha took a drink from her mug, before explaining further. “It’s magnifying this telepathic field,” She said “and I don't know how much longer it can go on for before Eves brain can't handle it,”<br/>“So what do we do?” asked Gwen<br/>“We could give her neuro blockers but they would only slow the progression, the safest option would be to freeze her with the alien cryogenics, but until I know more about her healthy physiology there won't be anything I can do to help her,”<br/>“So we freeze her until what? we find one of the others?” Gwen asked, a leader looking for practical solutions.<br/>“There is a third option but its dangerous,” Martha said hesitantly, looking to Jack, “we could amplify the signal in her head,”<br/>“I thought you said that would kill her,” he replied unsure of where Martha was going with this line of thought.<br/>“It would only be for a few seconds and I would monitor her the whole time,” she reassured him, it didn't work.<br/>“But why would we do that? how would it help?” he pressed.<br/>“Because then I could trace it to the nearest receiver,” Luke interjected the first time he had spoken since the meeting began.<br/>“The nearest receiver, you mean one of her siblings?” <br/>Luke nodded “Yes, it shouldn't take long, I can use the energy readings from Eve’s arrival to narrow down the search,” he sounded confident in his abilities, something Jack admired.<br/>“And you could use them to help Eve?,” Jack asked Martha, she nodded reassuringly back at him “So that's what we do then,” Jack said. Eve would do anything to find her siblings and if finding one of them helped  save her too, it had to be worth the risk. </p><p>Everyone filed out from the conference room heading down to their perspective areas to start work. Jack walked around the second level balcony until he found a place he could watch them all. Mickey and Luke clambering together over a piece of tech that would soon be able to trace the signal within Eve’s head. Martha fussed over Eve checking and rechecking her equipment and starting to get her ready. Gwen moved seamlessly between them both, cheeking on them and helping when she was needed.</p><p>Jack felt another presence walk up beside him, he daren't look up, he knew exactly who it was.<br/> “You feeling about as useless as I do?” Ianto asked, overlooking the room beside Jack.<br/>“What do you mean?” being this close and alone with Ianto was setting every one of his nerve endings on fire. He almost couldn’t stand it, the overwhelming joy and elation of him being alive, mixed with the guilt and pain of what would soon be said.</p><p>“You're not the only one who’s been replaced,” he pointed towards Lois, who up until this point Jack hadn't even noticed, she was milling around the room fetching things for Martha before she was even asked, cleaning up after Mickey and Luke as they tinkered busily; refilling everyone's drinks, making sure everything ran smoothly.<br/>He wanted to tell Ianto he was irreplaceable or at least make some kind of joke but he couldn't bring himself to speak so he just nodded and watched everyone work.<br/>After a few minutes Ianto broke their silence.<br/> “How long was it for you Jack?” he asked and Jack could feel Ianto watching him and not the others at work now.<br/>“Since when?” he replied, the question had taken him by surprise and he wanted to buy more time, he could practically feel Ianto roll his eyes.<br/>“It’s been twelve years for Gwen and the rest of the world, a few hours for me,” he paused taking a breath. Giving Jack barely enough time to realize what that had meant. A few hours since he had died in Jack's arms, a few hours since Jack had begged the 456 to save him, a few hours since Ianto had told him he loved him.<br/>“How long has it been for you Jack?” he asked again.<br/>“Longer,” he said because at the end of the day did it matter.<br/>“How much?” Ianto pressed, Jack turned slightly just enough to see him, just enough that Ianto might drop this line of questioning. <br/>“Just tell me Jack, please,”<br/>“It was hard to keep track,” he admitted, looking back over the hub, “a hundred years maybe? more or less,” Ianto didn't say anything and the silence fell over them once more. </p><p>Jack knew what Ianto was thinking a hundred years, Jack had gotten over him, forgotten him. He was wrong but maybe it would be better if Jack let him believe it.<br/> “I’m not staying,” Jack said after a moment, because it needed to be said and maybe it would be better to just get it over with. <br/>He turned to face Ianto so he could see him completely.<br/> “I promised Eve I would help her find her family and will but I won't be doing it from here, not from Torchwood,” he said, so far he wasn't feeling any better from this.<br/>“And once you’ve found them?” Ianto asked, those blue eyes of his so serious, he already knew, he had to.<br/>“Then i’m leaving,” <br/>“Earth?”<br/>“Yes,” Jack said harsher than he meant too, but it was Ianto’s turn to look away now, to pretend to be watching the Torchwood team. Jack wanted so desperately to reach out, to touch him, to kiss him to tell him he wasn't going anywhere, but Ianto being alive didn't change what he had done and he couldn't stay the guilt would consume him.<br/>“How do you do it Jack?” Ianto asked and Jack could hear the pain in his voice. Jack shook his head, he didn't know what Ianto meant.<br/> “How do you come back from the dead as many times as you have and not go completely mad?” he clarified and Jack’s heart broke because Ianto knew he had felt what Jack felt, over a thousand times before and no one could ever understand.<br/>“Who says I haven't,” he joked because that's what he was good at, Ianto turned to him, his eyes so sad and lost. Jack reached his hand out and stroked his thumb down Ianto’s cheek, where just before he died there had been a cut.<br/> “I don't know,” He admitted “I wish I did but I don't,”<br/>He dropped his hand down to Ianto’s shoulder, he hasn't released quite how close they were standing until just now and Ianto was alive and he was just as lost as Jack was. So Jack kissed him. It only lasted a moment and it was slow and sad and almost felt like goodbye.<br/>A loud electrical zap closely followed by Luke yelling drew them apart, both of them turning to see what was going on.<br/>“I’ve done it!” Luke called over to Gwen, shaking his hand, “we will be able to track the signal with this,”<br/>“We should get down there,” Jack said, his stomach in his throat and headed for the steps, mildly aware of Ianto agreeing and following him down.</p><p>“Am I the only one a little unsure of the plan?” Luke asked from his work station, a strange mismatch of alien technology attached to his computer and ready to track the signal inside of Eve’s head. “I mean once we get a location how are we going to retrieve them?”<br/>“Oh that's the easy part,” Jack said with a grin “You get me a place and I will just pop in with this,” He held up his wrist with his vortex manipulator on it “Grab the kid and pop out again,”<br/>“Oh it’ll be that easy will it?” Gwen asked, having just come up from the medical bay checking Martha was ready. <br/>“I don't see why not,” Jack said, he knew where Gwen was going with this, she wanted him to take the others with him.<br/>“Eve’s killed you what twice now?” <br/>“Three times,” he knew he wasn't helping his case but he just couldn't help himself.<br/>“She killed you three times,” Ianto said from his seat on the coach, sounding only mildly concerned.<br/>“She knew it wasn't going to take after the first,” Jack replied defensively.<br/>“Not the point I was making,” Gwen said her arms crossed over her chest, “What if they don't want to go with you,”<br/>“I can be very persuasive,” Jack said a little prudently. “If we go in there out numbering them, they will be on the defensive and probably just kill everyone before we have a chance to talk,” He reasoned.<br/>Gwen sighed“Fine,” she said and put her hands in the air, “You will just do what you want anyway,”<br/>Martha cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention to her in the med bay, “If you two are finished shall we get started?”</p><p>Ianto felt useless, he hated not having something to do to keep him occupied, he always had. He felt like a stranger in a place that had once been his home and he felt so lost. He stood to the side, trying to keep out of everyone's way as they worked on getting Eve ready. <br/>“Enhancing the signal,” Martha called from her spot in the medical bay. The electrodes on Eve’s forehead, which Ianto now realised looked slightly alien, lit up, becoming brighter and brighter.<br/>“I've got a lock on the trace,” Luke called back from his station. Ianto looked over to Jack who was watching Eve’s stats like a hawk. The room was silent for what felt like minutes but was in fact closer to thirty seconds.<br/>“She can't take much more of this,” Martha said.<br/> Eve looked the same, she hadn't so much as twitched but her brain waves, to Ianto’s novice eye at least, looked erratic.<br/>“Just a few more seconds,” Luke said typing away at his computer.<br/>“I see you,” Eve said, her voice completely monotone, drawing everyone aside from Luke’s attention to her. To all outward appearances she looked the same, her eyes closed and her body slack against the table where she lay but her heart rate was beginning to race.<br/> “You’re safe,” she said. Ianto found it very unnerving.<br/>“Luke, the signal is too strong you have five seconds,” Martha shouted.<br/>Luke didn't so much as flinch “Ok, wait wait, I got it,” He said looking up from his screen for the first time since it all started.<br/>Martha pressed a few buttons on her tablet. The lights on the electrode began to dim until they were out completely.<br/>“How is she?” Jack asked.<br/>“She’s fine, for now at least,” Martha replied. Ianto was relieved. He might not have been sure about how he felt about his relationship towards Eve but he still felt for her. She was lost and alone and out of her time.<br/>“So where am I headed?” Jack asked, striding over to Lukes station looking over his shoulder.<br/>“Scotland,” Luke replied. “The closest trace is in Scotland about five miles from one of the energy readings left when Eve came through,”<br/>“Sounds hopeful then,” Jack said, programming in the coordinates into his wrist strap. “Be back soon,” He said with a smirk and vanished into thin air.</p><p>---</p><p>He had programmed his vortex manipulator to transport him a little less than a mile away from the signal that led to Eve’s sibling. He didn't want to arrive too close and startle them.</p><p>He appeared at the top of a hill, the afternoon winds bitterly cold here. A vast landscape of green hills lay before him. He could see a small village far off into the distance but it was too far to be where the signal had originated. Jack started down the hill towards an old stone croft, nestled in between the next hills, it would be almost exactly the right place.<br/>As he got closer to the building he could see that it was long since abandoned. The grass and plants around the property were wild and overgrown, The roofing was beginning to sag and a couple of the windows were smashed. As good a place as any to hide and lay low for a while.</p><p>Jack went in through the front door and began a quick search through the property. The inside of the house was in a similar condition to the outside. The front room was empty except for an old, damp couch. His suspicions about this being a hiding place for someone were confirmed when he got to the kitchen. Brand new tins of food lay on the dusty counter top, they were probably stolen given the randomness of the selection.<br/>A creek in the floorboards above him drew Jack to the stairs.</p><p>“Hello,” He called gently as he ascended them, the last thing he needed was to spook whoever was there. He only had this one chance to save Eve.<br/>The room above the kitchen was the master bedroom, all that was in it was a slowly rotting wardrobe and an old double mattress. He peered around the room and saw a couple of neatly folded items of clothing. He knelt down to look at them, they were almost identical to the clothes he had first seen Eve in. A dark green tank top and grey sweatpants but much bigger. From what he could tell from the pictures Eve was one of the smaller of her siblings and Jack had secretly hoped that who he would find here would be of a similar stature but it didn't look like he was that lucky.</p><p>No sooner had Jack stood up and was about to walk away from the clothes and go search the next room, a large arm wrapped itself around Jack's throat and the point of a knife pressed at his abdomen.<br/>“Who are you? What are you doing here?” demanded the person holding him. His accent was similar to Eves, almost english but not quite.<br/>“I don't want to hurt you,” Jack said “I'm here to help,” the arm around his neck tightened.<br/>“Give me one good reason not to spill your guts all over this floor?” he asked, pressing the blade tighter against Jack.<br/>“I’m a friend of Eve’s,” Jack said, the hand with the blade fell away from him and the arm around his neck loosened, pushing him away as it did.</p><p> Jack put his hands in the air and turned slowly to face the boy. He had strong features, a square jaw and a slightly crooked nose. Red hair just starting to grow out of his buzz cut. Jack recognized him instantly from the photos they had recovered from the data chip - it was his eyes that made him stand out, one so intensely green it was almost emerald, the other a milky blue surrounded by thin silver scars. 2-5-5-6 if he remembered correctly. He had a pang of guilt as he realized he had never asked Eve the others names.</p><p>“Where is she?” the boy asked, he still clutched, what Jack could now see was a large hunting knife in his left hand but his tone was softer. <br/>“She’s sick,” Jack said calmly, he knew if it came down to fight it would be no contest and by the time he had revived Eve’s only chance would be long gone. “She needs your help,”<br/>“What's wrong with her?” the hand holding the knife shook, unsure of what to think or believe.<br/>“It’s complicated but she needs nanogenes from your blood,” the boy shook his head running his free hand over it.<br/>“How can I trust you,” he said as desperate and confused as Eve had been that first day.<br/>“I don't know,” Jack said honestly “I don't know how to make you believe me but if you don't Eve is only going to get sicker and she will die,”<br/>The boy bit his lip and nodded slightly before dropping his knife to the ground. Jack lowered his hands.<br/>“This is a kind of transporter,” Jack said pointing to his wrist strap “It will take us to my base were Eve is and to my people, so I need to know if you have any other weapons,”<br/>The boy thought for a moment before producing what looked like a Judoon weapons blaster from the waistband of his trousers. <br/>“Thank you,” Jack said, taking it and tucking it into his waistband.<br/>“You have to protect your people,” The boy said telling Jack he understood. He crossed the room picking up the folded clothes from the floor.<br/>“What's your name?” Jack asked with a smile, the way the boy moved was so like Eve though they couldn't have looked more different.<br/>“Odin,” he said before heading downstairs to collect the rest of his things. </p><p>“I’m Jack,” Jack said, deciding to keep things simple this time, he didn't have time to wave off the whole captain thing which clearly meant something to these kids. He followed Odin down to the kitchen, where he proceeded to place the clothes and tinned food into an old backpack that was tucked against the wall.<br/>“Ready to go?” Jack asked once he was done. Odin nodded slightly, still unsure of his decision, Jack could easily be leading him into a trap. <br/>“Hold onto my arm,” He said, reaching out for Odin to take hold “I’m going to take us just outside of my base,” he explained, programming the location into his vortex manipulator. He didn't like to teleport inside buildings, get the programming wrong just a tiny bit and you could end up inside of a wall.</p><p>---</p><p>Martha had sent Mickey home to relieve her mother and give the kids dinner. He was also going to pick Anwen up on his way. Gwen didn't want Ianto to have to stay in a hotel but she wasn't quite sure how to explain his resurrection to a twelve year old yet.<br/>Luke had left for the evening too, he thought he might have some software back at his place that could help with the data chip. There wasn't much they could do but sit around and wait for Jack to return anyway. </p><p>Martha looked over Eve’s stats she had been checking them regularly, and though they were holding steady for now if Jack wasn’t back soon she would have to reconsider freezing her.</p><p>Not five minutes later Martha heard the lift shudder to life. She left Eve in the medical bay, joining the others and watching as the lift descended. She was relieved to see that Jack had not returned alone. There was a boy with Jack and he was still a boy Martha had to remind herself despite his size. He was about the same height as Jack, with broad shoulders. From outward appearances he looked much more threatening than Eve but Martha knew better than to judge people like that.<br/>The lift stopped at the ground with a quiet thud and Jack and the boy stepped off.<br/>“This is Odin,” Jack said with reassuring grin, placing his hand gently on the boy’s shoulder, “He’s here to help,”<br/>“It’s nice to meet you Odin,” Martha said, extending her hand, “My name's Martha,” The boy, Odin, didn't make any attempt to move, just stayed standing next to Jack, his arms behind his back.<br/>“Martha’s our doctor,” Jack explained “She’s the one helping Eve,”<br/>At the sound of his sister’s name Odin’s mismatched eyes went wide.<br/> “Where is she?” he asked his question clearly directed at Martha now.<br/>“This way,” she replied, leading the way to the medical bay, Jack and Odin close behind. </p><p>At the sight of his sister, Odin rushed down the steps to the med bay, Martha followed him down. He lent over Eve, gently tracing his hand down one side of her face. Stroking her hair with his other hand, Odin looked up at Martha, she was now standing across from him. It was strange to see someone so large being so gentle.<br/>“How do I help her?” He asked.<br/>Martha picked up the tablet from the table beside Eve and smiled.<br/> “You already are,” She said looking at the real time scans of Eve’s brain <br/>“Your presence here is relieving the telepathic field in Eve’s brain, so she is out of immediate danger,” She explained, Odin nodded in understanding but he was already looking back at his sister.<br/> “We still need to find a way to wake her up but now you’re here I should be able to help her,” <br/>“What do you need me to do?”<br/>“Nothing too invasive, a few scans and some blood tests,” she said, doing her best to be reassuring. “Why don't you take a seat,” <br/>It was clear that trying to get Odin to leave Eve now would be pointless, so she would run the tests from there. Odin sat on the stool beside Eve and Martha began running the medical scanner over him. </p><p>“Do you know much about the nanogenes in your blood?” she asked, the more she knew about them the better and Odin might know something she could miss in her scans. She could feel Jack watching them, the others hadn’t followed them through but he had. keeping a close eye, but on Odin or Eve, Martha wasn’t sure.<br/>“Not much,” Odin said apologetically, “they're not perfect, we still scar and can't grow back limbs or anything,” he shrugged slightly, indicating his eye.<br/>“Do you mind if I ask what happened?” Martha put the scanner down, Odin's readings looked pretty normal but she could have a more in depth look at them later. <br/>“I don’t mind,” Odin said, as Martha began taking a sample of his blood, she was surprised that she didn't have to give him any instruction, he just responded instinctively to what she needed him to do.<br/> “We were nine I think, there were these creatures, kind of like that thing,” He said pointing to the main part of the hub and Myfanwy with his spare arm. Nine years old, that was the same age as her boys, she couldn’t even imagine them in that kind of danger. Doing her best not to let her emotions show she replaced the now full vile of blood with a fresh one, unsure of how much blood she would need. </p><p>“They were small though and hunted in packs, I was part of the diversion team,” Odin continued to explain, he didn’t sound phased by it or even particularly upset. Martha gave Jack a quick glance but she suspected he had heard stories similar to this already.<br/> “I got pinned down, woke up in the medical ward the next day,” he shrugged. “It grew back but it doesn't work, had to learn to shoot all over again,” he finished almost laughing.<br/>Martha removed the needle from his arm, pressing a cotton ball onto it before she could realize how pointless it was with his nanogenes having probably already healed it but Odin didn’t say anything, just smiled appreciatively.</p><p>Gwen sent Lois home, there wasn’t anything she could do now but she would have stayed until everyone else had left given half a chance. She left Ianto in her office, she still couldn't believe he was alive, it was so surreal. <br/>She made her way to the medical bay about forty minutes or so after Jack had come back with the boy. She didn’t want to crowd Martha while she worked but having decided that they had had plenty of time to get settled.<br/>“How are things looking?” She asked, down to Martha, who was looking over something on her tablet.<br/>“Good I think,” Martha said looking up, “I think I know how to help her,”<br/>“How?” Jack asked before Gwen had a chance.<br/>“If I tried to transplant some of Odin’s nanogenes directly to Eve her body would reject them but I think I can modify this piece of alien tech that we found last year,” She pointed to the metal box like machine, she had been experimenting with, medical stuff that Gwen didn’t really understand but Martha had seemed pleased with the results. <br/>“It will scrub the nanogenes of Odin's DNA and hopefully Eve’s body should incorporate them,”<br/>“How long will that take?” she asked<br/>“I’ll set it going now, maybe 9 or 10 hours,” Martha shrugged “there won’t be much I can do until morning,”<br/>“Then you should go home,” Jack said, “All of you,” he added to Gwen before she could protest.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Day 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Odin hadn’t slept, he hadn’t moved all night, just stayed where he was beside Eve, her hand clasped in his. A couple of times Jack had suggested that Odin get some rest and that he would stay with Eve for a while but both times he had been met with a firm no. </p><p>Jack had gotten the hint and dropped the subject. Eventually leaving to get a few hours of sleep himself. He still woke up with plenty of time to shower and change before the others arrived that day.</p><p>---</p><p> Lois arrived first at about 7.30, carrying two large shopping bags in one hand and a box of pastries in the other.<br/> “Morning,” She called cheerfully as she came inside. She placed the shopping bags on the ground outside of Gwen's office. She opened the box of pastries offering it to Jack. “do you want a coffee?”<br/>“Love one, thanks,” Jack said, taking a large danish pastry from the box. </p><p>“Odin,” She said, a little surprised, as she walked passed the med bay realising he was there and not somewhere else asleep. “Are you hungry?” she leant down offering the box through the railings.<br/>“No thank you,” Jack heard him reply quietly. Lois withdrew the box, placing it on Luke's desk before disappearing up the stairs to make the coffee. </p><p>After a couple of minutes everyone else aside from Luke arrived, chatting casually to each other and helping themselves to pastries when they noticed the box.<br/>“Morning Jack,” Martha said turning away from the group and over to the med bay railings “how's our patient?” <br/>“No change but that's good right?” He replied.<br/> having heard their conversation Odin was looking up at them, concern showing on his face.<br/>“Yeah perfectly normal,” she said with a reassuring smile in Odin's direction,<br/> “I will have a look at how the nanogenes are doing in a moment,see if they are ready for implantation,” Odin nodded, turning his attention back to his sister.<br/>Having heard the others arrive Lois came down the stairs with a tray of mugs, having predicted their orders.<br/>“You’re an angel” Gwen said as a way of greeting, taking her mug from the tray and inhaling the fumes.<br/>“What's in the bags?” Mickey asked between bites of his chosen pastry.<br/>“Oh right,” Lois said as if she had forgotten her self, “I took the liberty, went out and bought some clothes for Odin and for Eve, I had to guess their sizes but they should do for now,”<br/>“I'm sure they will be great,” Jack said reassuringly, it was a nice gesture and honestly something he probably should have done himself.</p><p>Soon enough Martha had finished eating and headed down into the medical bay. Jack walked around the edge where he could see, not wanting to crowd her. She pulled the tube of Odin's nanogenes out of the machine that was on the work counter down there. Taking a small sample from the tube and placing it under a microscope.<br/>“Well?” Jack asked impatiently.<br/>She held up her hand behind her to silence him, “They look good,” She said after a moment, “all foreign DNA traces have been cleaned, her body should accept them,” <br/>“When can you give them to her?” Odin asked hesitantly.<br/>“No time like the present,” Martha replied softly with a smile, and pulled the contents of the metal tube into a large syringe.<br/>Odin stroked his hand over Eve’s hair as Martha expertaly injected Eve with the nanogenes into the top of her arm.<br/>“How long until we know if it worked?” Jack asked, as she dropped the needle and her gloves into the medical waste bin.<br/>Martha shrugged “The nanogenes have been cleaned of foreign DNA so they will be accepted and the hope is that the blank nanogenes will latch on to Eve’s DNA and replicate,” Martha explained but Jack felt she was dumming the whole process down for him.<br/> “It could be hours or even days before we know if it’s helped,” She gave Odin’s shoulder a slight squeeze. “I’ve got some other work I need to get done but i’ll keep monitoring her,” Martha walked up the steps and past Jack, out of the medical bay. <br/>“Let me know if you need anything,” Jack said to Odin, though he was pretty sure he wouldn't. Odin nodded and Jack left him there with Eve.</p><p>Everyone had their own projects and duties to work on and with Jack helping Mickey install some new security measures down in the basement and Ianto down in the archives somewhere, Gwen was alone in the main hub when Luke arrived about an hour after the others had.</p><p> “What time do you call this?” she teased him, she didn’t really mind. Luke always worked to his own schedule and Torchwood didn’t exactly have set hours, besides she couldn’t deny his results.<br/>“Wait until you see what I’ve got,” He grinned, shaking off his jacket and placing it over the back of his chair before sitting down, pulling a thumb drive out of his bag and holding it up for Gwen to see.<br/>“What's that then?” she asked, joining him at his station.<br/>“Just some code,” He said casually inserting the drive into the computer and typing some things in, “Though it’s not entirely human and i’m pretty sure it will be able to decrypt that disc,”<br/>As Luke continued to type, Gwen pressed her com to activate it. <br/>“Hey Mickey,” she said “can you send Jack up here we might have something on Eve,”<br/>There was a small click as Mickey activated his com, “On our way up,” He said and clicked off again.<br/>Just then all of the monitors at Luke’s station went black, filling up with lines and lines of constantly changing code, but it wasn’t just numbers there were symbols too. Gwen didn’t recognize them and she wondered where Luke had gotten this from but decided it was best not to ask, for someone so young he had a lot more extraterrestrial connections then most.</p><p>Then just as quickly as it appeared the code vanished, replacing it with pages and pages of documents, each corresponding with the different files on Eve and her siblings.<br/>“Whats going on?” Jack asked as he and Mickey emerged from the tunnels.<br/>“See for yourself,” she replied as he approached, his eyes going wide as he saw what was on the screen. <br/>“Anything on where they were each taken from?” Jack asked, leaning over Luke’s shoulder.<br/>He shook his head “I can run a search but it could miss something, we will have to go through it manually too,” <br/>Gwen was just thinking that she would get Lois to print off hard copies of each of the files, when the cog door opened and she came through. <br/>Lois looked around the group, “Mickey, perfect!” she said with a smile, “Mrs Harris called,”<br/>Mickey groaned, “Let me guess aliens kidnapped her cat again?” <br/>Mrs Harris called the Alien Incidents tip line every couple of weeks about her cat going missing who would always show up again the next day. <br/>Gwen suspected she was just lonely and it was starting to become a drain on resources but Mrs Harris’s garden happened to intersect with a rather powerful part of the rift, so they had to send someone out every time just in case.<br/>“Actually it's the fish from her pond,” Lois shrugged apologetically, “at least that's slightly strange!”<br/>“I'm on it,” Mickey sighed, grabbing his jacket and headed for the door.</p><p>Before long Lois had printed out copies of all twenty files, some heartbreakingly slim, just a few pieces of paper and others like Eve’s packed with mission reports and evaluations going back almost sixteen years.<br/>“What do you suppose these numbers are?” she asked Jack, pointing to them on the piece of paper she was holding. It was a kind of registration or intake form, each file had one. From the day they were brought in. Listing things like their age, all under twelve days, weight, height and physical attributes and at the bottom of each one were a few strings of seemingly random numbers.<br/> “Could be anything I suppose, maybe some kind of filling system like a barcode,” Jack suggested. Not looking up from the mission reports he was reading in Eve’s file.</p><p>Gwen shook her head, “but that what their names are 2-5-4-0 to 2-5-5-9,” Jack put down the pages of the file he was reading, looking at Gwen, <br/>“besides these aren't in any kind of order,” she finished.<br/>Jack flipped to the front of the file he was reading, taking out the intake form, looking at the strings of numbers at the bottom of the page, his eyes going wide. “How could I be so stupid?” he said standing up and going over to Luke, who was at his station. Gwen followed him. Jack held the piece of paper out to him. “They’re coordinates,” Jack said.<br/>“Can't be, coordinates only need two sets of numbers,” Luke reasoned.<br/>“Unless they are taken from space,” Jack said excitedly. <br/>“Of course,” Luke said and snatched the piece of paper from Jack’s hand, typing into his computer.<br/>Silence surrounded them for a moment as Gwen and Jack watched Luke work. <br/>“Cardiff,” Luke said looking up “It’s about a twenty mile span of land,” he added.<br/>“So the numbers are where each of them were taken from,” Gwen said.<br/>“And presumably where the rift tried to put them back,” Jack added.<br/>“Right, Luke can you use these numbers to narrow down the corresponding energy signatures from when the other nine came through?” Gwen asked, finally something they could do.<br/>Luke nodded, “Some of them might overlap meaning there will be multiple energy signatures per set of coordinates,”<br/>“That's fine,” Gwen said “Just narrow it down as best you can,”<br/>“There's one more thing,” Luke said, sounding unsure. “There are ten remaining files, other than Eve and Odin, not marked as deceased, which one am I not looking for?” He asked.<br/>Gwen and Jack exchanged blank looks neither of them knew and hadn’t asked Eve.<br/>“2-5-5-0,” Said Odin from behind them, making Gwen jump. He was so quiet she had forgotten he was only down in the medical bay with Eve. They all turned to look at him, he was still down in the bay, looking up at them, a sadness in his eyes. “His name was Nickola, he didn’t make it out,” <br/>Gwen nodded sympathetically at him, he turned around sitting back down next to his sister.<br/>“Start looking,” Gwen said gently.</p><p>Ianto sat alone in the conference room. He had Eve's file open in front of him, the numbers 2-5-4-4 marking each page. He had taken it from the main hub once the others were done with it, Luke didn’t need it for the coordinates anymore. <br/>He had read a few pages but it felt strange and invasive like reading the equivalent of her diary. He had looked over the photos about a dozen times, currently he had the first two pictures of Eve on the top of the pile. The first was when she had just been taken, a small blobby looking baby with a shock of dark hair, wailing at the camera. The second picture she was one years old, dressed in dark grey.  It was the only picture in which she was smiling, too young to be told not to.<br/>“You ok?” Jack asked, pulling Ianto from his thoughts. Looking up to see Jack leaning casually against the door frame.<br/>He nodded slightly before answering, it was still so strange this distance between him and Jack, but a hundred years and him dying had changed everything. <br/>“I was just thinking,” he replied vaguely, looking back down to the photo of Eve, beaming up at the camera all chubby cheeks and dark hair, her blue eyes almost impossibly huge.<br/>“About what?” Jack walked into the room, standing at the head of the table diagonally next to where Ianto was sitting. He briefly wondered why Jack was there checking on him but decided he didn't care, it didn't really matter he just liked that Jack was.<br/>“Her mother,” he said honestly, glancing at Jack just long enough to see Jack's surprise.<br/>“You figured out who it is?” Jack asked, pulling out the chair in front of him and sitting down.<br/>“Might have narrowed it down,” He replied evasively. Jack raised a questioning eyebrow. Ianto sighed he really didn’t want to have to say it, least of all to Jack, who was well Jack. “I only had one girlfriend before Lisa,” he mumbled, blushing slightly.<br/>“Sorry what was that?” <br/>He looked up to Jack, undecided as to whether Jack heard him or not. He smirked, shaking his head “I only had one girlfriend before Lisa,” he said again more clearly, feeling the blush rise past his cheeks to the tips of his ears.<br/>“That does narrow things down a bit,” Jack chuckled slightly, biting his lip to stop himself when Ianto glared at him and for a moment it felt how it used to. “Who was she?” Jack pressed.<br/>“Her name was Christina, she was just a girl from the estate, we hung around with the same people,” he lent back in his chair, exhaling as he did. He considered stopping there. Letting the conversation end and watch Jack walk away. “It’s strange though,” he said because it was Jack, he could tell him anything and Ianto didn’t want him to leave “I never thought about it before but now that I know about Eve I can see it, I can see the cracks,”<br/>“Like what?”<br/>“I was only just eighteen and we had only been going out a few months when we moved in together,” he half laughed, half sighed. It was so obvious now. “I can't remember why it just felt like the right thing to do,”<br/>“She was pregnant,” Jack interjected.<br/>“Oh you think,” Ianto said sarcastically, making Jack smile. “Then one day after about ten months, it was like we woke up and didn’t know why we were together, like there was something missing,”<br/>He couldn’t help but wonder about how different his life could have been, he never would have gone to london, never would have joined Torchwood, never would have met Jack.<br/>“If they hadn’t taken her you would have lived a normal life,” Jack said as if reading his mind, “You still could you know,” Ianto shook his head not following, Jack just smiled gently. “You’ve got a second chance Ianto, you could live a normal life, start over” It felt like daggers, how could Jack possibly think that that's what he wanted.</p><p>Before he had a chance to respond, a knock on the door frame made them both turn. “Jack,” Luke said with an awkward smile, probably unsure if he had interrupted something. “Can you come sit with Eve for a bit, I think i've convince Odin to get something to eat,”<br/>“No problem,” Jack replied, getting to his feet, looking back at Ianto for just a second before leaving without saying another word.</p><p>Odin had been successfully convinced to move from the med bay, albeit briefly, Jack could hear him and Luke talking and eating up on the couch. Odin, unlike his sister, seemed to be much more comfortable in the company of people.</p><p>So Jack sat with Eve watching over her incase of any changes in her condition. He was bored, he hated to be alone with his thoughts which these last few days had been down right chaotic. He was leaning back in his seat, with his eyes closed, focussing on the indistinct chatter, trying to drown out his own mind.</p><p>Before he could register anything he felt a tightening around his throat, suddenly unable to breath. He opened his eyes instantly, feeling the small arm around his neck, cutting off his oxygen supply.<br/>“Eve,” he gasped trying to grab at the arm around him “Eve,” he tried again,his chair fell out from under him with a crash and he hit the floor. His vision began to darken, he was about to pass out.<br/>When suddenly her grip loosened “oh... Jack, sorry,” Eve said, sounding only a little panicked, a lot confused. As Jack's eye regained focus, he could see Eve crouching down in front of him, her eyes a little glassy but starting to focus.<br/>“That was a little disorentating,” she breathed. “Waking up like that I mean, What happened?” she asked, her brow furrowed.<br/>Jack coughed, rubbing his throat. <br/>“You almost died,” he said, making no attempt to move yet, he was still feeling a little dizzy.<br/>“And you saved me?” She asked sceptically.<br/>“With a little help,” Jack said, nodding his head towards the crowd that had just gathered around the railing, having heard the commotion.<br/>Eve's eyes went wide and she jumped to her feet, in less than a second she had climbed the steps and barreled straight into Odin. They wrapped their arms around each other. As they did, she buried her face into his shoulder and he pressed his face into her hair. They clung together, oblivious to the others.</p><p>Jack got up following her and joined the rest of the crowd.<br/>“You ok?” Gwen asked him quietly not wanting to interrupt such a personal moment between  Eve and her brother. Jack shrugged it off nodding, it wasn't like she even killed him this time.</p><p>Eve pulled slightly away from Odin, reaching up and holding his head in her hands, “that’s twice you've saved me now,” she said gently.<br/>“You saved us first,” he replied grinning ear to ear.<br/>Eve shook her head “I got us all lost, I got Nickola killed,” she whispered, her voice cracking slightly.<br/>Odin took Eve's hands in his, holding her close.<br/> “That was them, that was all them” he said pulling Eve into another hug “you freed us,” he whispered, and Jack could only just hear it.<br/>After a moment, Eve pulled away from her brother, turning around and looking suspiciously at the other people in the room.</p><p>Time for introduction, Jack thought, try to defuse some of Eve’s natural tension “Eve this is…” <br/>“Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, Lois Habiba and Luke Smith,” Eve interrupted, “I like to be prepared,” she added with a smirk. She glanced at Ianto for a second but looked away without saying anything.<br/>“Speaking of,” Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Where’d you get the poison?” <br/>it had been bothering him slightly, niggling away at the back of his mind. Something that dangerous should have been locked in the secure vaults and Jack was fairly certain Eve hadn’t accessed those.<br/>Eve rolled her eyes, “from the archives,” she shrugged “I only noticed it because it was shelved wrong, it was filed under miscellaneous engine fluids when actually it’s biological matter,”<br/>“She’s definitely yours,” Gwen muttered to Ianto, he rolled his eyes, nudging her shoulder playfully with his.<br/>“What do you mean biological?” Jack asked “What the hell did you poison me with?”<br/>Eve grimaced slightly, “There are these creatures, kind of like dogs, they live on ice planets and normally they're completely harmless,” Eve rubbed the back of her head uncomfortably, “Unless you heat up their saliva to above about seventy degrees then it becomes very deadly,” Eve shrugged once she finished, if he wasn't so annoyed and grossed out he would have been almost impressed.</p><p>There was an awkward silence for a second, which was quickly interrupted by Mickey bursting out laughing. “Dog spit,” he breathed out between bursts of laughter, Gwen and Martha were both trying and failing to suppress their own giggles “She poisoned you with dog spit,” he added, holding his sides.<br/>“It’s not funny,” Jack said<br/>“You’re right,” Mickey said, trying to regain his composure, Jack just glared at him. “It’s freaking hilarious,” <br/>“Anyway,” Martha said gently, stepping forward. Possibly sensing that Jack was a few seconds away from throttling her husband. “I should run some tests on Eve, make sure everythings alright,”</p><p>Eve stared suspiciously at Martha and took a step back, bumping into Odin.<br/>“Its ok,” Jack said, “she's a doctor you can trust her”<br/>“I know exactly what she is,” Eve scowled, “where I come from the doctors are just as dangerous as the soldiers, maybe even more so,” <br/>Eve sneered, not taking her eyes off Martha for a second.<br/> “They're the ones who broke our bones to see how quick we would heal, they're the ones who put us through endurance tests that lasted days just to see who would break first,” </p><p>Jack thought about the medical evaluations in the files, he hadn’t read much of them but now wondered what the price of getting them had been and if the look on Martha’s face was anything to go one she was thinking the same thing.<br/>Eve turned giving the full force of her ice cold stare to Jack.<br/> “They're the ones who did this to us in the first place,” <br/>“She isn't one of them,” Jack reasoned, “she saved your life,”<br/>“And I bet she used my brother as a lab rat to do it,” Eve retorted.<br/>Odin placed his hand gently on his sister's shoulder, “it wasn't like that,” he said, “I needed to help. be nice.” his voice seemed to calm Eve.<br/>She rolled her eyes, “fine,” she sighed, ignoring the rest of the team and pushing through them to get to the couch, “but i'm not going back down there again, you can run your tests up here,” she said to Martha, sitting down and helping herself to Odin's half eaten kebab.</p><p>---</p><p>After Martha had given Eve the all clear, she and Odin had gone down to the sleeping quarters. Ianto had given them what he felt like was enough time to get themselves settled before heading down there himself.<br/>He knocked on the door, waiting for a response, when there wasn’t one he pushed it open anyway.<br/> Eve and Odin sat side by side on one of the bunks. They had both changed into fresh clothes since leaving the main hub. Wearing almost identical khaki trousers and black t-shirts, what Lois must have brought Ianto supposed, the only difference was Eve wore an unzipped dark red hoodie over the top of hers.</p><p>“Mind if I have a word?” he asked, They both looked up simultaneously as he walked in, Odin smiled casually but Eve just glared at him.<br/>“Suppose,” Eve said in response, it was clear she was suspicious of him. From what he had seen she didn't really trust anyone besides her brother and maybe Jack. Odin whispered something in his sister's ear and stood up, giving her shoulder a squeeze and heading for the door in the back of the room that led to the kitchen area.</p><p>Ianto sat down on the bunk opposite from Eve, suddenly feeling awkward, “I just wanted to say...” he started<br/>“Your not my dad,” Eve interrupted, “up until a few days ago I didn't know I had parents and I don't need any now, I already have a family,” <br/>Ianto nodded, he couldn’t say he was surprised, “I know that, this is weird for me too,” He said, which was understatement, he was only eleven years older than her which was beyond strange and that was just to start. “I just wanted to say thank you,”<br/>Eve tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”<br/>“You saved my life, you brought me back from the dead,” he replied puzzled, she had to know that he would want to thank her for that.<br/>Eve rolled her eyes and sighed, “You heard what doctor Jones said, last few days I've not exactly been in my right mind, I wouldn't do it now,” she said honestly, shaking her head, “It wouldn't be worth the risk.”</p><p>Ianto smiled, he quite liked her bluntness, at least she was honest.<br/> “Even so, thanks,” He said getting up and leaving. He was still trying to figure Eve out there was only so much he could learn from her file and from Gwen but he was hoping to find out more if she would let him.</p><p>---</p><p>“Who are we spying on?” Ianto jumped slightly, he hadn't heard Eve approach. She stood a little behind him hiding in the shadow of the house with him.<br/>“How did you know where to find me?” He asked. He had slipped out of the hub and hadn’t told anyone where he was going. With only a vague comment about going for a walk when Lois had asked, upon seeing him leaving. </p><p>He shuffled forward a little to try and get a better view of the house opposite about twenty five yards away.<br/>“I followed you, when you left the hub,” Eve replied, Ianto was impressed he could normally sense if someone was watching or following him.<br/>“Why? I thought you didn't want anything to do with me,” he asked, genuinely curious.<br/>Eve shrugged “I was bored,” Eve peared around Ianto, trying to figure out what he was trying to see.<br/> “Odin's sleeping and the others were busy, besides they don’t like me very much,” <br/>“Im sure thats not true,” Ianto said weakly<br/>“It is,” Eve interjected, “I make them uncomfortable,” she smirked, making Ianto think that she knew exactly how some of the things she said and did affected those around her, she just didn’t care.<br/> “They like Odin more, he’s nicer then I am.” </p><p>A car pulled up into the drive of the house Ianto was watching. Parking beside the car belonging to the occupants of the house. A young man climbed out of the drivers side and went to the front door. Ianto couldn't see him clearly, a combination of distance and dusk starting to settle. He was tall, six foot maybe with short, sandy hair.<br/>The door opened and a woman stepped out wrapping the young man in a hug. Suddenly Ianto was jerked back, Eve was pulling him back by his jacket. Ianto hadn't even noticed he had been walking forward, a couple more steps and he would have been in the street lights.<br/>“Who are they?” Eve asked, Ianto sighed, turning away from the house as the door closed.<br/>“That was my sister,” he said, and suddenly Ianto was exhausted. It felt just a couple of days ago he was in there talking to Rhiannon, telling her about Jack. He sat on the ground, leaning against the wall for support. Eve copied him. <br/>“And the man?” <br/>“I think that was my nephew, David, last time I saw him he was nine,”<br/> Ianto ran his hands through his hair, taking a deep breath. <br/>“Family dinner, six o'clock every friday,” he said he wasn't really sure why he was telling Eve, maybe it was just because she was there and listening. “She always invited me, every week, and I always found some reason not to go, work or,” Ianto half chuckled “usually work actually,”<br/>“Are you going to tell them you're alive?” there was a coolness to Eve’s tone, it didn’t really matter to her one way or the other.<br/>Ianto shrugged, “I don't know,” it wasn’t much of an answer but it was honest. After everything he wasn’t sure he could put them through that, he looked over to Eve. Gwen had said she found her silent stillness a little creepy but Ianto thought there was something oddly comforting about it. An impassive calm. </p><p>“You're not very good at spying,” Eve stated after a moment<br/>“There's not exactly great visuals,” he replied defensively, “and i'm not spying,”<br/> She raised a single eyebrow at him, she believed that about as much as he did.<br/> “Stay in my footsteps and follow my lead,” she said with a cocky grin, this is what she was good at. This is where she was at home.<br/>She got to her feet, staying slightly crouched and in the shadow of the house they had been sitting against. She took off up the street moving quickly but carefully, Ianto followed. She worked her way around the edge of the estate until they were around the back of Rhannon’s house. </p><p>“Stay low,” she whispered, climbing over the fence and into the small garden and he followed, slightly less gracefully than her but still managing to stay hidden. “Here,” she pushed Ianto back, flat against the corner of the wooden fence pulling him down into a crouch. From there he could see pretty clearly through the back window, into the small dining room. </p><p>Under normal circumstances Ianto might have been concerned with how quickly and easily Eve managed to case the estate, finding a blind spot with good visuals, but then under normal circumstances he wouldn’t have been spying on his own sister. He had passed normal a long way back. They watched the family, sat around an oval table, Rhiannon at the head, she was laughing at something it looked like Johnny had said. He sat to her left, his back to the window, making exaggerated hand gestures while still holding his cutlery. David sat opposite Johnny so Ianto only got glimpses of him when Johnny leaned over to Rheannon. He looked like Johnny, only slimmer, he smiled and said something nudging his sister, sitting beside him. Mica rolled her eyes but laughed at whatever it was, she would be about eighteen now and she looked, much to Iantos surprise, like Eve. Her hair was lighter and slightly curly but she had the same rounded features and slight point to her chin.</p><p>He wanted so desperately to go inside to knock on the door and explain everything but Ianto suspected that that would probably cause more pain.<br/> It had been twelve years. He had to remind himself again and again, they had grieved and mourned for him a long time ago.</p><p>Ianto lost track of time watching them.<br/> “We should go,” Eve whispered, Rhiannon had stood up and was about to start clearing the table. “There's more of a chance of them seeing us when they stand,” she said, pulling lightly on  his sleeve before hopping over the fence. With a final look over at his sister Ianto followed her.<br/>They stalked back through the shadows in silence so no one would see them. Ianto wasn’t sure why, the chances of anyone recognizing him now, after all this time, were slim.<br/>“Thank you,” he said once they had crossed out to another streat. It didn’t feel like enough, Eve had given him a chance to see his family however briefly and he wasn’t sure if he would have that chance again.</p><p>“Who was the girl?” Eve asked, she must have noticed the similarity too.<br/>“Mica, she'd be a couple years older than you,” he answered, “her and David would be your cousins,” he mused more to himself than anything, but noticed his mistake as soon as he said it.<br/>“I already told you, I don't need more family,” Eve snapped, picking up her pace so she was walking ahead of Ianto. <br/>He jogged slightly to catch up. “I know, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that,” he said and she slowed her pace falling back into step with him. “I was thinking though,” he said hesitantly. “maybe we could work towards maybe being friends?"<br/>She looked at him like he had just asked her to lick a wall “you want to be my friend?”<br/>He shrugged and smiled, “you did save my life,”<br/>Eve furrowed her brow, pursing her lips slightly. Like she was trying to find the catch. Then nodded hestitantly “Ok maybe we could work towards it,” she said.<br/>They walked silently together for a few minutes, when a thought crossed Iantos mind.<br/>“I don't suppose when you took my diary you took anything else did you?” He asked, his missing stopwatch at the back of his mind.<br/>“No,” Eve said and Ianto was inclined to believe her. What reason would she have to lie. “Why?” She asked.<br/>“There was something missing, it doesn't matter,” he said hastily.<br/>Eve stopped walking, exhaling through her nose and glaring skyward. “Inside pocket of his coat,” she said.<br/>“What do you mean?” <br/>Eve sighed, clearly not wanting to have this conversation. “First time I killed Jack, I went through his pockets, to see if there was anything I could use,” <br/>she scratched at the side of her head then shoving her fists deep inside the pockets of her hoodie. “Just trust me, the inside pocket of his coat,” she said, doing everything she could not to make eye contact with Ianto.<br/>Ianto froze where he was, trying to figure out what she meant, but part of him already knew. She read his diary, she would know about the watch but still his mind refused to believe it. He shook himself out of his thoughts, taking a breath. <br/>“Come on,” He said to Eve and they started walking again, “Don’t know about you but I'm starving, there used to be a chinese around here somewhere,” Lois had given him some walking around money from the fund kept for eventualities like his. Well not like this but similar. <br/>“We could get some, take it back for the others,” he really hoped it hadn’t closed down or he and Eve could end up walking in circles for hours.<br/>Eve grinned, “I’ve never had chinese before,”</p><p>---</p><p>“Wait,” Eve said through gritted teeth. The man in front of her stopped, a bag of chinese food balanced on one hip, just about to open the door to the small information office that led into Torchwood.<br/>“Everything alright?” Ianto asked, turning around to look at her.<br/>Eve turned away from him, looking out over the water. She was reluctant to speak and definitely couldn't while looking at him. </p><p>“This last year three of my brothers have died,” she said, clutching the warm bag of chinese food to her chest, inhaling deeply, trying to get lost in the intoxicating fumes so as to distance herself from her words. <br/>“The first was about six months ago, the most recent five days,” tears stung the backs of her eyes but she refused to let them fall. “I would do anything to see them again, to just hear their voices one more time,” she squeezed her eyes shut, exhaling a shaking breath, pushing the remainder of the threatening tears away. <br/>She could feel Ianto watching her and she would not cry in front of him.<br/> “It wouldn't matter how much it hurt, or what it stirred up,” Eve shook her head. She didn't even know why she was saying it, these people were inconsequential to her. She would be gone soon anyway and yet part of her felt compelled to. “Just to know they were out there somewhere would mean everything,” she swallowed the lump in her throat, “and I can't see that feeling ever going away,” she finished, feeling drained, she had never spoken that honestly with anyone outside of her siblings before and even that was a rare occurrence.<br/>Silence hung in the air, the cool evening breeze helping Eve find herself again.<br/>“Eve…” Ianto started.<br/>“We should go in,” Eve interrupted, pushing past him and opening the door, “don't want the food to get cold,” she said, going inside. Not wanting to give him the chance to speak. </p><p>---</p><p>Looking out over the water, the tourist office was just several yards away. Jack shoved his hands into his pockets, the cold, late evening air whipped around him.<br/>He had left the others, aside from Martha and Mickey who had long since gone home, inside finishing off the last of the chinese that Ianto and Eve had brought back with them.<br/>He had everything he needed now, Eve was awake and Luke had narrowed the possible locations down considerably. He would leave soon, maybe set up a safe house somewhere for Eve and Odin and find the rest of Eve’s family from there.<br/>He heard the door to the office open and then close, he turned to see Ianto leaving, walking towards him. <br/>Ianto smiled briefly as he approached Jack, swiftly closing the distance between them. standing closer to Jack than he had done since he came back, practically no space between them.<br/>“What are you…?” Jack started, his heart pounding in his chest. <br/>Ianto just smirked looking into Jack’s eyes and reaching his hand inside of Jack’s coat, pulling out the stopwatch and taking a step back. “How did you know?” Jack asked stunned, he really should have given it back sooner but hadn't been able to bring himself to part with it.<br/>“I know everything, remember,” Ianto said with a grin. “You've had this with you all that time?” Ianto asked softly.<br/>“Yes,” he breathed, crossing his arms over his chest.<br/>“Why?”<br/>The question surprised him. Just a single word, so simple and yet Jack was disarmed by it. How much longer could he go on lying for, he had thought it would be easier to leave that way let Ianto believe he had moved on. That it would be easier but maybe it wouldn't.</p><p>“Why Jack?” Ianto pressed, so much pleading in his eyes.<br/>“Because you died,” Jack sighed, swallowing the lump in his throat. Wasn't that enough of a reason but Ianto stayed silent his eye pressing Jack to go on, “because I have lost so many people that I loved and I have died thousands of times in hundreds of different ways,” looking past Ianto, out over the water, “and not once did it feel like that. Like being dragged back to life over a bed of nails, coming back knowing the world was empty because you weren't in it anymore,” he could feel tears burning the backs of his eyes, he blinked them away. Ianto opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again before he did.<br/>Jack briefly thought about how he felt just the day before upon hearing Ianto’s voice in the morgue like all of the colour came rushing back into the world all at once “Because I love you Ianto Jones,” he said, his heart threatening to pound its way from his chest.  It didn’t feel like enough to explain it but it was all he had. </p><p>Ianto smiled briefly making the deep blue of his eyes almost sparkle in the moonlight. Jack shook his head pulling away from Ianto and taking a step back. <br/>“But it doesn't change anything, it doesn't change what I did,” he said desperately trying to make the other man understand, Jack realized this was it, this was their goodbye.<br/>“I can't stay,” he breathed.<br/>Ianto shook his head and grinned “I love you Jack, I don’t want you to think I said it because I was dying,” Ianto bit his lip slightly and Jack felt his breath catch in his throat. “And if you asked me to go with you,” he smirked “Well I wouldn't even have to think about it,” Ianto brushed his fingers through his hair, turning to go back inside.</p><p>What was he doing? Jack had wished for this, dreamt of this countless times, for just a little  more time and he could have that. Could have months or years because Ianto was right in front of him and alive. Thay had a second chance and Jack was throwing it away.<br/>“You’d really want that?” Jack asked sceptically, he couldn't ask Ianto to leave his whole world behind, if he wasn't sure.<br/>Ianto turned, his gaze meating Jacks, “You're right,” Ianto said, nodding slightly, “Travelling across the stars with the man that I love,” he smirked, “Sounds awful,” he added sarcastically and Jack couldn't help but smile.</p><p>Pulling Ianto to him and kissing him deeply. He wrapped his arms around the other man, one hand on Ianto's neck the other around his waist pulling them together and for a moment the rest of the universe fell away. <br/>Ianto pulled away from Jack at the sound of the door to the tourist office opening. Lois and Luke came out chatting casually together, closely followed by Gwen.<br/>“Good night,” Lois called cheerily to them as she passed.<br/>“Night,” Jack replied on instinct. It was dark, the only illumination was a light just outside the office and Jack doubted that Lois or Luke had seen anything but he could see the slight pink tinge of embarrassment on Ianto’s cheeks. Ianto had always been shy about public displays and Jack hadn’t realized how much he had missed making him squirm.<br/>“Jack,” Gwen said, from the door of the office, pulling his attention away from Ianto,”I'm about ready to go but I don't want to leave those two inside alone for to long,” <br/>“I’ll be right in,” Jack said, hating having to leave Ianto right now but Gwen was right there was no telling what could happen if Eve and Odin were left unsupervised in the hub for too long.<br/>“Ianto are you ready?” Gwen asked.<br/>“Actually I was thinking about staying in a hotel,” Ianto said, surprising both Jack and Gwen, “you know, have some time to myself,” He added, sounding apologetic.<br/>“Oh right, i’ll see you tomorrow then,” She said. She already had her coat and bag, and waved to them as she left.<br/>“You’re staying in a hotel?” Jack asked skeptically after Gwen was gone.<br/>Ianto shrugged, “Maybe,” He said with a smirk.</p><p>---</p><p>Eve walked up from the bay, her brother in step with her. It was almost midnight when they left the hub but it wasn’t dark, it rarely was on earth, the streets constantly illuminated. She could clearly see the water tower looming ahead of them. She had grown oddly fond of this place and was surprised at the mild sadness she felt, realizing this was most likely the last time she would see it.<br/>Then Eve noticed something, shifting at the tower's base, the lift rose up with Jack and Ianto both standing on it. Odin stopped momentarily but followed Eve when she didn’t.<br/>When she was just a couple of feet from the tower Eve stopped, Odin beside her. She looked up at the tower and then back down again, her eyes meeting Jacks. “You really think some flimsy perception filter would work on us?” She asked smugly.<br/>“Not really,” Jack said with a smirk as he and Ianto stepped off the lift. <br/>“How did you know we were gone?” Eve asked, she had deactivated the alarm on her room and they couldn’t have had much time to react, neither of them wore coats and their shirt buttons were only half done up, Ianto was still fiddling hastily with his.<br/>“Alarm on the main door,” Ianto said, Eve hadn’t known about that one.<br/>“It’s new,” Jack said as if to read her mind. “What exactly is your plan here Eve?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.<br/>“Find my brothers and sisters,” Eve shrugged, thanks to Luke she had fifteen possible locations to search for them and she would, one by one until her family was whole again. “And then I am going to find my way back to the thirty fith century, back to the facility and burn it to the ground,” Eve added darkly with a smirk. “Preferably with the people who did this to us locked inside,”<br/>“Solid plan,” Ianto muttered sarcastically, putting his hands into his trouser pockets to brace himself against the cold.<br/>“We could help,” Jack said “Torchwood could help,”<br/>“You’re off the hook Jack, you found Odin,” Eve replied, glancing over her shoulder to her brother who smiled gently at her, “it’s more than I could have asked for and as for Torchwood,” Eve rubbed the back of her neck, “Well, we destroyed any and all records that we were ever here,” Eve’s absently touched the data chip, that was tied on a string around her neck. She had hated burning the paper copies, wanting to keep a few photos at least but it was too risky. “And we would appreciate it if you kept it that way,”<br/>Jack shook his head, “Why would you destroy all of the records?”<br/>Eve rolled her eyes, how could he be so stupid, he had delt with time travel before. “We don’t know happens to Torchwood,” Eve explained, “What happens if in the future the facility gets hold of the Torchwood files,”<br/>“They would know exactly where and when you are,” Jack said gravely, understanding her caution. “You can’t do this on your own, you're just kids,” he said after a minute sounding almost desperate.<br/>Eve shook her head grinning slightly, “you and I both know that's not true Jack,” <br/>He nodded his head relenting, “Did you take anything else from the archives?” he asked.<br/>Eve grinned, thinking of the few choice items and weapons stashed away in her and Odin's bags, “Only what might come in useful,” Jack nodded, keeping his features neutral but Eve caught Ianto trying to suppress a smile.</p><p>“You weren't even going to say goodbye,” Jack stated and if Eve didn't know any better she would say he sounded hurt.<br/>“I left a note,” Eve resoned, “Besides you seemed a little... preoccupied,” she added, smirking, though she wasn't planning to anyway. Ianto blushed, rubbing his hand through his hair. Jack just almost grinned, rolling his eyes but was silent for a minute.<br/> “Did you take a phone?” Jack asked eventually, but not waiting for an answer just reaching his hand out for her to give it to him. She could just kill him, knock Ianto out and her and Odin could disappear into the night, it would only take a few seconds.<br/>Deciding against it she sighed, “Gwens,” she said, reluctantly removing it from the pocket in her trousers and handing it to Jack.<br/>Much to Eve’s surprise Jack didn’t pocket the phone, instead he started typing into it, “A friend of mine fixed it so this number will receive a call no matter where I am,” He said, handing the phone back to Eve. She nodded a little awkwardly as she put the phone back in her pocket. She wasn’t expecting to  stay in touch. Was this what it was like saying goodbye to someone, she never had the chance before and wasn't sure if she liked it.</p><p>“Eve,” Ianto said, making her look over to him, “When you’re ready to rain down a little chaos on the people who did this to you, call that number. I've got some unresolved issues I want to work out with them too,” he said a little darkly.<br/>Eve nodded with a grin. She didn't know how she felt about Ianto the whole situation was so complicated and her siblings needed her full attention right now but she could see the darkness in him and she liked it, liked how it mirrored her own.<br/>Jack smiled gently at her, raising his hand to his forehead and saluting, Eve smiled back copying, her form much better than his. She turned from them then without another word walking away with her brother at her side.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING this final chapter gets much fluffier than i usually do. enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>6 MONTHS LATER</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Cardiff - Wales</strong>
</p><p><br/>Gwen stood at the water's edge, her arms crossed over her chest, this was really the last thing she needed today. Anwen had a school play this afternoon and she really wanted to be there but no instead she was called out of bed at 5.30 in the morning because there is a spaceship floating in the docks and it was looking like it would be a tough case..</p><p>“Any sign of life?” Gwen asked Martha, as the doc workers who pulled the ship out of the water left.<br/>Looking up from her device she shook her head, “None that I can see but it might be shielded,”<br/>Luke was already examining the outside of the ship, at least he had assumed it was a spaceship. He was running gloved hands over the smooth metallic surface, it was about the same size as a small car and perfectly oval save for the tail fins.<br/>“It’s not like any tech i’ve seen before, but it’s definitely hollow,” he said looking up for just a second before running a scanner over it again. “Probably be best to take it back to the hub, might have something back there that can get it open,”</p><p>“Ok,” Gwen said, thinking it through “Martha, call Lois, We want level 5 quarantine procedures in place in case there is something alive inside it,” Martha nodded, taking out her phone and walking away. Gwen turned to Luke “Make sure it’s stable for transport,” Gwen took a step back from the ship, she would call Rys, he was usually able to find them a discrete van when she needed one.</p><p>She took a breath before dialing, looking up at the sky it was hard not to think about them at times like these. They hadn’t stayed long after Eve left. It wasn’t so bad this time though as they called every few weeks or so, Gwen knew she had Ianto to thank for that but she still missed them both dearly.<br/>She shook her head looking back to the spaceship shaped problem at hand and dial Rhys’ mobile.</p><p>---</p><p>
  <strong>Mumbai - India</strong>
</p><p>Ten teanagers huddled together in an alley to stay hidden, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. It was getting harder and harder as their numbers grew.<br/>They watched the market eagerly, Eve was used to the vibrancy of earth by now but the market was something else, so many colours and sounds, the smell of fresh spices and fruit enriching the air. With so many people crowded together, it was hard to spot if who they were looking for was there at all.<br/>Naoko spotted her first, she tapped Eve on the shoulder silently pointing to a girl amongst the crowd. She looked well, her clothes neat and her long dark hair plaited together in an elegant braid, much better shape than some of the others had been in when Eve had found them.</p><p>Freya blended in seamlessly with the locals. Not just the way she looked, she was from here originally after all but the way she moved amongst the crowd and talked to the vendors. She had always been good at undercover work.<br/>They waited all of them buzzing from anticipation, waiting for her to walk close enough to them. They couldn't leave the alley, so many of them together and there were cameras everywhere, if they made a scene they would be spotted.</p><p>Finally she made her way to a fruit stall a few feet away. Eve nodded at Kai, who put his hands over his mouth, mimicking the hollow whistle like call of a bird indiginous to another planet. Freya looked up and Kai made the noise again as Eve stepped forward just enough for Fraya to see her. As Freya spotted her she beamed and Eve copied. Freya dropped the piece of fruit she was holding back down on the stall and ran to the alley.<br/>She wrapped her arms around Eve pulling her into a hug for just a second and then pulling away again when she sensed the other precances but not letting go of Eve’s arm. Freya looked around her, her eyes filling with tears as she saw her siblings surround her.</p><p>“But how?” She asked, reaching out and touching Kai’s face as if to check that someone other than Eve was really real.<br/>She didn’t get a response though as Kai pulled her in for a hug and upon contact the others all clambered in as well, squishing Eve and Freya in the middle. Freya didn’t seem to mind though smiling and giggling in the mass of her family and if she was being honest neither did Eve because after six arduous months she had finally found them all.</p><p>---</p><p>
  <strong>In a galaxy far far away</strong>
</p><p>The presence of someone beside him stirred Ianto from sleep, a hand sliding around his waist and up his chest. “Some of us actually have to sleep you know,” he mumbled into his pillow smiling as Jack placed a gentle kiss on the back of his neck.<br/>“We're almost there,” Jack replied, pulling away slightly as Ianto rolled over to see him. Jack was already fully dressed and grinning excitedly.<br/>“How much further?” Ianto asked, yawning as he tried to push the tiredness away.<br/>Jack shrugged, “about 30 minutes,” he said casually. Ianto sat up stretching his arms. Jack lent casually against the headrest “I would have let you sleep longer but you can be such a priss about exploring alien planets in your underwear,” Jack teased. “Personally i'm all for it but..”<br/>Ianto rolled his eyes, “shut up,” he said, smirking, sliding his hand around the back of Jack's neck and pulling him into a brief kiss. He pulled away from Jack sighing, “if we are arriving soon I should probably go shower,”</p><p>After he had showered and changed Ianto joined Jack in the cockpit. A steaming cup of, not actual coffee but the closest approximation he could find in this galaxy, in each hand. Jack took one appreciatively, taking a large swig as Ianto sat down in the copilot's seat.<br/>“You're still not going to tell me where we are going then,” Ianto said knowing he wouldn’t. A week they had been traveling to some unknown planet that Jack wouldn't tell him the name of, a surprise he had said.<br/>“Where’s your sense of adventure,” Jack replied with his usual level of zealousness.<br/>Ianto rolled his eyes drinking some of his not quite coffee, he had been amazed the first time he drank it at how closely it actually tasted the same. “I don’t see why you can’t tell me the name of the place, it's not like i’m going to know it anyway,”<br/>“Yeah but then you could ask the computer about it,” Jack retorted, turning away from the controls, he wasn’t doing anything with them right now, it was all running on automatic. Ianto suspected he just sat there to look cool.<br/>“I could ask the computer now where we are going and it would tell me,” Ianto said grinning.<br/>“Well… don’t,” Jack said after a moment, it wasn't very often that Jack was flustered and Ianto loved every second of it. “Besides,” Jack said regaining his composure again, “we’re here,”</p><p>If there was one thing Ianto hated most about travelling by spaceship it was landing and taking off, the ship juddered so much as it pushed its way through the atmosphere. The illogical part of Ianto’s brain was almost certain it would break apart and kill him but it was still way better than the hangovers from hell that came with long term travel by vortex manipulator. They left him feeling groggy for days after they had passed leaving him bearly enough time to enjoy whatever new place they were visiting. Ianto had never said anything to Jack but he must have seen it because less than a month after they had left earth Jack had won the ship in a card game. Ianto wasn’t entirely clear on the rules but he was fairly certain Jack had cheated.</p><p>After they had landed they made their way over to the airlock, Jack opened it and they stepped inside. It was completely unnecessary as the outside air was perfectly breathable but the ship's safety protocol wouldn't budge. They stood in the airlock as the inside door sealed itself with a hiss the outer door locked to them. Jack slung his arm over Ianto’s shoulder. “You’re really not going to tell anything about where we are?” Ianto asked. Jack just grinned at him.</p><p>Ianto pressed the release button for the outer door. It slid open in one swift motion, he inhaled sharply he would never not be amazed by the new worlds he went to. A vast red landscape lay before him and the smell of citrus clung to the warm air.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So this is the longest completed fic I have written and I know it's not perfect but I am super please with it. I hope you enjoyed reading.</p>
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